Book One: Voiceless
by Yamamato
Summary: In life you lose a lot of things: toys, beliefs, thoughts, friends, family... Before I turned eight I lost my innocence, my mind, and my voice. It taught me a lesson I never forgot, only the strong survive. What makes the perfect ninja? Is it undying loyalty, or the sheer will to abandon all that you know and never look back?
1. Prolouge: Broken Birdie

**Voiceless**

**Chapter One: Prologue, Broken Birdie**

The door to my office squeaks loudly open, emitting a man barely old enough to shave. I watch him like a hawk, yet keep my eyes on the paperwork in front of me.

_'Brown hair, blue eyes, and a very confident walk.'_ I note, looking up as he clears his throat loudly,_ 'No less than three weapons hidden on his person, two kunai and a tanto.'_

I smile at him, he bows as I stand up and offer my hand. He grasps it, returning my smile with the barest hint of nervousness hidden well behind a veil of confidence. The young man lightly touches my elbow for no less than three seconds, giving three short pumps with a firm grip.

_'A subtle attempt at using the unconscious mind to build rapport.'_ I note, _'Whoever taught him had some skill.'_

"It's an honor to meet you, sir." he greets genially, bowing his head slightly, "I've looked forward to this interview ever since I learned I would conduct it."

No attempts at flattery, no recitation of my title or my lofty achievements. The Nation's Scholars seem to have an accurate file on me.

"_The honor is mine."_ I sign to him, noticing momentary surprise in his stance, _"The Nation's Scholars have always struck me as a charitable organization. I hope you don't mind this indulgence, it brings back memories of my childhood."_

He shakes his head, "Not at all, sir. Whatever helps you give an accurate recount of it will help with the interview."

I nod lightly, taking a quick sip of water from a glass resting on my desk. I let silence reign long enough to make it feel unnerving, earning nothing more than a shuffle from the young man.

"_That's just the thing."_ I start, seeing surprise quickly suppressed again as I return to my seat, _"I'm not sure I'm comfortable recounting my personal memories. Not only are they that, but much of the stuff necessary for my biography has yet to be declassified. You understand my hesitation, Chronicler?"_

The Chronicler nods, "We have asked the Hokage and councils of Konoha, they've allowed you to state whatever is necessary for the sake of our interview. Not only that, but you know our policy regarding biographies, it will only be published after you pass away."

"_I realize that, Chronicler. However, I was dead set to send you back to your school without a word from myself. But then I saw you, gave it some more thought, then changed my mind."_

"Why is that, sir?" the Chronicler asks.

"_Looking at your young face I saw excitement and eagerness."_ I answer, _"Don't deny it, I have much experience seeing the thoughts of people. It stirred something I can't place. Perhaps its because of that I didn't throw you out like I first planned. I know its an emotion, I've long since learned how to feel them again, but I don't know which it is. Whatever it is though, I'm also glad to have some time to tell a good story after so long."_

The young man nods, retrieving a pad and pencil to make a few notes. He cradles them in his lap, looking up at me and asking, "Then perhaps we should begin, sir?"

I nod.

0o0o0o0o0o

The first time I met a ninja that wasn't my Old Man was an interesting experience.

I was young, young enough that the concepts of death, danger, and pain were nothing more than fairy tales my caretaker told me as she tucked me in at night. Actually, I'm not right. I did know pain, but only the way children knew it: a few bruises, scrapped knees, and small cuts that have them wail, sob, and cry for their parents.

Just like many other kids my age I was a stupid little brat. Even in a ninja village most parents coddled, spoiled, and sheltered their children from death until they "grow old enough". Four and five if a member of a ninja clan, or nine onwards if you're a civvie hoping to become a ninja. There were those few that broke at a young age because of the stress. Going melancholic and committing suicide, loosing all emotions and becoming empty shells, or simply going insane and killing dozens before getting cut down by a special ANBU task force.

These were few and far between though. After nearly one-hundred years creating killing machines, Konoha learned a trick or two.

I didn't know any of this though, I was six, nearing seven. That city made up my entire world; all sunshine, rainbows, ice cream, unicorns, and all that other shit children seem to love. But what _I_ loved most was sneaking out at night, exploring every darkened crack and crevice I could find before ANBU found and dragged me back home.

I even went to the all the 'bad places', the red light district with its scantily clad prostitutes, the slums with their skyrocketing crime rates and homeless, and the Council Chambers with their politicians.

Was that a joke? Yes it was.

In hindsight, I'm surprised the eighty muggings, three-dozen murders, and five rapes I stumbled along in my travels didn't shatter my childish view of the world. I remember thinking they were all adults playing games like children, so that may have something to do with it. I thought they were cool, unlike the boring adults I was exposed to every day. Luckily enough, I didn't try "playing" with them because I thought I would have ruined their fun butting in.

You'd think that since I did this so frequently they'd at least try to stop me from escaping again and again, and they did. Even back then I was a slippery little thing, that or someone thought it was a good idea to let me go traipsing around.

That particular day had been uneventful so far, so I eagerly awaited my chance to sneak out my window and go exploring. I wondered why my caretaker never tried stopping me, preferring to send out ninja to drag me back kicking and screaming. It wasn't until many years later I found out, after my old Master gave me the journal of a certain someone as a peace offering.

When will you stop asking me all these questions, Chronicler? All will be explained in due time.

I sneaked through the streets of a neighborhood I never visited before, the stars above winking as if to encourage my exploration. The buildings stood crumbled and decayed, every visible window either cracked or smashed. Somewhere a dog barked angrily, going silent after a loud thump and a painful yelp. A rotten stench hung in the air, emanating from scattered trash and refuse. I managed to avoid most people by sticking to the back alleyways, where the handful present were too hopped up on one thing or another to think of me as anything else than some sort of drug-induced illusion.

Even though my world was still unicorns and ice cream, I knew that area wasn't the best place to be. But the thirst for adventure and exploration kept me going, along with my caretaker's orders to stop sneaking into the 'bad places' all the time. I loved her, then, but she made me so bored like most adults. I knew by instinct that whatever she told me not to do was fun and exciting.

Anyway, as I snuck through the alleyways I caught a heavy shuffling that attracted my attention. When I turned I saw a figure in the dim monlight, hunched over and riffling through a tall metallic trash-can.

The homeless man, wearing all but rags and dirt, murmured and cursed quietly. A long beard caked with all sorts of gunk dropped off his chin, swishing this way and that as he tossed out one thing or another.

I didn't know it then and I wouldn't know it for years, but this would the first time I saw death.

He seemed to mumble something, growing angrier with every second as he pilfered the trash, "Damn it! What am I supposed to eat? There's nothing in here, nothing!"

I remember feeling the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Something about those words set me on edge. My heart beat faster and faster, the noise a spurring thrum in my ears. Scared more than enough for the night, I chose then to cut my excursion short and hightail it back to my house, ANBU or no.

A can, kicked by my foot as I turned away, clanged across the ground.

The man jerked his head towards the noise, "Hea? Who's there?"

I bolted but tripped over something before I made it to safety, knocking my breath out as I slammed into the ground.

"Ohoo!" I heard him rasp, "Look what we've got!" a set of heavy, mismatched footsteps hobbled closer as I struggled to get back up and run.

A savage kick to my side put me back on the ground and ended that thought. I remember vividly spitting out the rancid dirt that went into my mouth, making me feel sick as I gagged.

"We'll have none of that, little guy." the hoarse voice said, "I can't let my new best friend leave so soon, now can I?"

I heard his rags rustle as he leaned over me, "I know a nice, young boy like you 'gots to be a kind one. Your parents had to have raised you to give help to people that need it."

I coughed and cradled my side when it flared in pain, eyes widening, hands shaking, "M-my parents died when I w-was young, they couldn't raise m-me."

Pathetic.

The man chuckled lightly, "So did mine, I reckon. I had no-one to tell me what to do!"

Then man's voice changed, darker, lower. I couldn't tell what it meant then, but now I recognize the sound of insanity, "The thing is, I know a boy like you would love to help me out. You see, I haven't eaten in a week. I need food to tide me over, but I need money to buy it. Do you have anything you can spare?"

An odd feeling of fear crashed into me like a wall of water, "N-no!" I stuttered, body shaking like the pathetic child I was, "I don't have any money on me!"

I heard the man sigh and, after a moment, walk away. I took that moment to turn onto my side and ended up staring at the stranger's back. His mob of dark, filthy hair bobbed up and down as he retreated. He stopped, bending down and grabbing something from the ground, then turned and walked back.

"I was afraid of that." the man said, sounding sorry. Face shrouded in darkness so I couldn't see his face, the man took one final step into the moonlight.

In that light I saw him clearly and he had a hard wrinkled face. A single, narrow scar ran down the side of his neck before vanishing underneath his ragged, patchwork clothes. His mouth had a melancholy curve to it, the expression avoiding his eyes.

Something gleamed dully in his hand.

"But then again, a man's got to eat somehow." the stranger muttered loudly, raising the rusty knife.

I gasped, kicking frantically before nearly blacking out from the flaring pain in my side. My vision swam in and out, the stranger walking closer.

Tears streaming down my face, I raised my arms in front of my face and cried, "What are you going to do?!"

I imagine that, since I couldn't see him, the man had hovered over me, lips salivating as he eagerly adjusted his grip on his knife.

"Eat well tonight." he declared.

I imagine that a shadow materialized behind him and the man fell dramatically to the ground in a limp pile.

I, arms still covering my eyes, sobbed pitifully as the shadow knelt down closer. I didn't notice it's appearance, nor did I hear the man die or fall over. Even though my savior probably didn't spare much effort into hiding themselves, I never heard so much as a whisper before she spoke to me.

She sounded kind and gentle despite having just ended a life, "It's okay little guy, you're safe now."

My sobs tapered off and I looked shyly past my arm and asked, "T-the bad man's not going to hurt me?"

Bah!

After going through that the woman likely appeared much more beautiful than reality. Long, ebony hair running down her shoulders, kind, black eyes, and a simple dark purple blouse with a red skirt. She smiled at me, warm and motherly, and I quickly wiped my tears away.

The headband on her forehead, branded with Konoha's leaf insignia, gleamed conspicuously.

"Of course not," she said, "He's never going to bother you again."

I sniffed, "Thanks, miss." accepting her hand up.

"Please," the woman said, "call me Mikoto."

I smiled wetly back at her, "Naruto Uzumaki."

My caretaker was royally pissed at me when she brought me home.

0o0o0o0o0o

A month passed. I never could find Mikoto again, especially since I didn't catch her last name. That didn't stop me from telling Koyuka how awesome she was, of course. I just took my eyes off the man for one second and bam! He fell to the ground. The fact that she grounded me for a year meant nothing to me.

Even then I somehow managed to run into trouble. One other event that stands out was when I got jumped by a couple of ninja academy wash-outs, only for them to get beat up by some random genin graduate. Calamity seemed to love following me around for laughs. Now I ask you, how or why did all these things keep happening to me? I'll answer, all in due time.

Either way, my old man came visiting one day.

Sunlight streamed through my bedroom window, stabbing feverishly at my eyes until I gave in. Yawning and stretching like I did every morning, I fell out of bed. Sluggishly taking off my pajamas I quickly replaced it with my favorite bright orange jumpsuit. How was I able to sneak out at night and around a city, going virtually undetected by every civilian and avoiding ANBU despite wearing neon orange?

Have you heard of rhetorical questions, Chronicler?

I remember the childish glee I felt, knowing that in a few short weeks I would turn seven. I lived in a friendly neighborhood near the center of Konoha with my caretaker, Koyuka. My favoritest color, the most awesomest-est in the world, was orange. I thought girls were icky, had cooties, and would suck all your blood out if you didn't keep your eye on them. I had almost all the typical qualities of the average Konohan boy, only lacking a key one.

A knock on the door came just as I pulled my jacket over my head, "Naruto, the Hokage is here to see you!"

Even though I considered the Hokage my grandfather, I never wanted to become a ninja.

I remember glancing into the mirror to see a toothy smile plastered on my face after I yanked the garment in place; my blonde hair even messier back then than today, my bright blue eyes nearly overshadowed by that mop. Not only that, but the three whisker marks I have were thinner, lighter, and less jagged than now.

I ran out the door as fast as my little legs could carry me. I blew past the chuckling maid, rocketing down the hall and leaped into the arms of the man I trusted most in the world, who I always wanted to make proud. Back then most knew him as the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. I just called him Old-Man.

He caught me mid-air, heaving me into his arms with a playful huff.

"Naruto, you're getting so heavy!" he sighed, smiling at me from under that ridiculous hat of his, "Soon I won't be able to lift you anymore!"

I scowled at him like a brat, "You're lying! You just don't want to carry me around anymore!"

Sarutobi laughed, his tan wrinkled face grinning kindly down at me, "You're getting too old for me to carry you around!" He chuckled again, setting me back on the ground, "So, how's school going?"

"It's boring!" I groaned, making him shake his head fondly, "I have homework, there's this stupid butt-head in class, a girl keeps giving me funny looks, I got into a fight and I have homework!"

"Yes," the old man nodded, "I think you said that already. If it's so boring why do you go there?"

I scowled, though I imagine my face only scrunched up at him, "Because its the only stupid school I can go to, cause I don't want to become a ninja!"

He shook his head at me again, smiling. I didn't know then how badly he wanted me to become a ninja, so I thought he was just being his usual self. Looking at me, he commented, "I think ramen for breakfast would be the best way to start of the day, don't you agree?"

The neighbors woke up early that morning.

Months later I walked through the market district, coming home from the civilian academy. Vendors hawked their wares as I walked by, adding to the buzz of people going about their daily duties. Never before had I noticed how many ninja Konoha had, something I chalked up to meeting that awesome woman, Mikoto. I even started thinking about telling the old man that I wanted to switch schools and become a ninja, but after an eternity of thinking (five minutes) I decided against it.

In my youthful delusions I wanted to become a ramen chef. After all, the people that made it must have the best jobs in the world, making the food of the gods. Nothing short of world shattering would make me change my mind, nothing.

Luckily for me my world would shatter than afternoon.

I kicked a stone absently as I ambled down the busy market street at five o' clock. Thanks to a very (un)fortunately placed ink bomb I got an impromptu, two hour detention. I don't remember why I did it, probably because of some stupid dispute with another kid.

It didn't take me long to get home, my house just a few blocks away from the market district. I stepped through the door into the lit foyer, took off my shoes (she hated it when I wore them inside), and tried to sneak into my room unseen when a sudden thought struck me like a spitball to the back of a teacher's head.

Whenever I got home, whenever I did something "bad" or mean, Koyuka always welcomed me with a yell or some other punishment. Like some sort of sixth sense she'd hone in on me, but something felt off that night. More specifically, she hadn't grabbed onto my ear, pulling me around and demanding to know where I'd been.

It felt... eerie.

"Koyuka?" I called loudly, shaking a bit.

Silence.

"Koyuka! I'm home!"

Still no answer.

I walked into the living room; the lights flipped on, a book laying on the table, my caretaker's reading glasses laying right next to it. Silence stretched out indefinitely.

Something strong, thick and smooth suddenly wrapped around my neck. I screamed, kicking and thrashing to escape, but a damp cloth covered my mouth and nose before I could bite anything.

It smelled horribly. I flailed wildly even as my screams reached higher pitches, the cloth muffling them. Slowly the strength seeped away from my limbs. My thrashing slowed, eventually stopping altogether as the stench filled my lungs.

Darkness creeped over my vision then I stopped moving, swallowed by unconsciousness.

0o0o0o0o0o

I never knew how long I drifted between streams of unconscious thought. I floated, suspended in peaceful bliss for what seemed like years, but then my head started throbbing. Weak and subtle at first, then it grew louder, stronger, painful, persistent. It evolved into a constant pulse inside my skull, pulling me out of unconsciousness.

I blearily opened my eyes, flinching as the bright light hovering over my face nearly blinded me. I blinked, turning my head to see that the rest of the room shrouded in darkness. My head throbbed to the beat of my heart, making me move to sit up. When I twitched my arm I felt something biting into my forearm, so I looked down.

Ropes bound my arms, legs, and waist to a table. I screamed, it coming out muffled and confused- then I felt the gag in my mouth.

Helpless.

"Ah... finally awake?"

I screamed again, terrified as I pulled at my restraints.

The voice, deep and cool, laughed, "I can see that you're positively _trembling _in excitement, don't worry, the fun will begin soon enough."

I recognized a chair squeaking as someone stood up, then heard slow, predatory footsteps approach me. Tears streamed out of my eyes just as a man's face became visible.

Today I realize how deliberate all his actions were; the light shined into my face, the darkened room, waiting for me to awake and announcing himself before I could orient myself. All textbook torture and interrogation, so textbook in fact that I realize a competent ninja would be little affected by it. It didn't matter though, a bratty little kid with no training to speak of could have his mind torn to shreds by a few well placed words.

The man had hard features, a slight build and an oily air around him. A small mustache and beard adorned his face, locks of greasy black hair framing a set of venomous, green eyes. The man wore modest, dark clothes, a black shirt and a pair of gray pants.

He smiled at me, showing a mouth full of bone-white teeth, "I don't believe we've been introduced, my name is Shingi, and you're Naruto Uzumaki."

His face dimmed a little, "I'm really sorry you weren't strong enough to escape me, truly I am," his face grew even darker, "but if there's one thing I can't stand, it's weakness..." he hissed.

Shingi took a single step forward, leaning over and whispering right into my ear, "Don't worry, my little friend; if you survive this you'll grow much stronger."

A cheshire grin gleamed off his teeth as he laughed, making my skin crawl, "The screams of little boys are my favorite. I wonder how yours will sound?" he asked almost absently, a knife flicking into his hand.

The blade lightly touched my skin as it went up my throat then, with a quick snap of his wrist, the gag fell out of my mouth. Immediately I screamed for help, but with another chuckle Shingi smacked me into silence.

"Scream as much as you want, boy, no one can hear you down here. Do you understand?"

I said nothing, petrified.

"I asked you a question, kid." the blade went to my throat, "Do you understand? Answer me."

I nodded as slowly as I could.

"With words, boy. Do you understand?"

"Yes." I whispered.

"Louder." Shingi commanded.

"Yes!"

"Good."

Tears streaked down my swelling face as the man walked away, "Now answer another question. What is the worst pain you have ever felt?"

I gulped down my tears as he walked back with a large box, "Just now; wh-when you hit me."

He snorted and slammed the box on the table next to me, "Really, child?" he asked, waving a finger, "That was a love tap."

Without any fanfare he pulled several tools out of the box, lifting each of them up so I could see them. Every item came with a name and some other comment.

"A cordless drill," he explained, "a classic tool, if a little overused. It'll serve well for your lesson."

"This serum will make it feel as if your blood is boiling. No long-term physical damage will be caused."

"Thumbscrews, another classic."

"Nails and a hammer. Good for home repair or teaching a lesson."

It seemed to go on and on. I recognized a few, like the hammer or drill. What I realized years later was that it was a torture kit, used to inflict any amount of pain the user wanted.

"And now we begin." Shingi announced, picking the drill back up and pulling the trigger. It spun for a moment, that unsettling smile never leaving his face, then in one fluid motion he put it to the back of my hand.

"What are you doing!?" I screamed.

He looked at me, smile never faltering as he pulled the trigger, "Just having a little bit of practice."

Then it began and continued on for four days.

By the first day he reduced me to a sobbing, incoherent mess.

By the second I begged for death.

By the third I fell eerily quiet.

By the fourth my mind shattered like glass.

By the fifth day a team of ANBU knocked on the door before dawn. That day, when the whole neighborhood shook violently as a fiery explosion engulfed the house, people screamed as debris and limbs fell from the sky. That day, when fire covered my entire body, scorching my bones as it seared my throat and lungs; was the day it all began.

The day I lost my voice.

**Chapter edited: January 20th, 2014.  
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**Please read and review.  
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	2. Recovering

**Chapter Two: Recovering**

_Trace elements of military grade accelerants suggest that Shingi either expected to be found out or planned for such. Without the accelerants Uzumaki would have never received as severe burns, and the damage would have easily been contained to Shingi's dwelling. In addition we have recovered several burnt writings in a code I haven't seen. Work is being done to decode what we can make out but sir, don't expect a miracle._

_-Captain One_

0o0o0o0o0o

In the months following my torture I suffered hundred of dreams that made it difficult for me to sleep well. One in particular I still remember vividly, so often I would awake hissing out a scream.

It would start with me hearing myself sobbing, thrashing my arms and legs to try and break the straps binding me to a cold dark surface. I quivered as cold, green eyes flashed happily. A smile formed out of the dim lighting, glowing in comparison to the darkness.

"Don't worry," it whispered, "my little friend, our fun will never end."

I would wail harder.

"Tears of joy are the surest form of expression." the mouth cooed, "When one becomes so happy they cry..."

Trembling, I gasped for breath in between words, "Pl-please don't hur-rt me! I nev-never did... anything to you!"

The smile grew wider, a gleaming surface shining in the palm of his hand, "You're right. You never did anything to me, I just hate weakness" the smile faded, becoming a vicious scowl, yet his voice did not change, "... and come to think of it, your pathetic whining is starting to grate on my nerves."

Then the blade descended once more.

0o0o0o0o0o

I don't remember much on my way to the hospital other than the nightmares I had. What few things I do remember today jumble together in one confusing mess covered in a sheen of red energy.

I remember rolling down a hallway, surrounded by men in funny white suits covering their entire bodies from head to toe. The red energy seemed to stab, weave, and strike at them whenever they reached for me, only to break apart when it touched their suits. I couldn't see their faces, invisible behind black visors.

I remember one touching the back of my head, but not feeling it. He lifted it, curving my neck enough to look down and see a body charred black, bones sticking out of what flesh remained. I remember thinking I had another nightmare, because it looked just small enough to be my body. The red energy seemed to knit it all back together even as agony coursed through my veins.

I made out his muffled voice saying, "Cervical vertebra intact, thank god for small favors."

And finally, I remember rolling into a room with what I now recognize as a large slab of rock covered in hundreds of different seals. As they forced a plastic mask over my face I saw an attractive woman with huge breasts walk in, frowning and looking grim.

She nodded to one of the men who reached over to the machine by my side and turned a valve.

Whatever they waited for didn't happen, and the man in the suit turned back to the the woman, who nodded again. He turned the valve one more time, making my vision swim with darkness.

Then I remembered nothing until...

_'Naruto.'_

I stirred, but didn't want to leave whatever warm, peaceful trance I was in. It hurt so badly whenever I tried leaving, worse than when fire scorched my entire body.

_'Naruto, I know you can hear me. My name is Inoichi Yamanaka and you're in the Konoha Shinobi Hospital. It will hurt, but please, try to remember why you're here.'_

It took me some time to recall why, but when I did, my safe, cozy hideaway turned stormy and violent. Fear of the man who tortured and mutilated me, anger at myself for being so weak, tantalizing thoughts of how to escape everything forever, hatred for the one who tore and cut and broke my body, and misery so unbearable all I wanted to do was escape everything and rest.

Before those feeling could consume me, a comforting presence forced them away.

_'It's okay Naruto, you're safe now, he'll never hurt you again. I'm just glad you're mind isn't totally broken and your memory is intact. You've been in a coma for weeks now, you were injured badly in the explosion.' _the voice paused.

_'The Hokage just walked in, do you want me to tell him anything?'_

Yes.

_'What is it?'_

I don't want to be weak anymore, I want to be a ninja.

0o0o0o0o0o

"Naruto." a soft, feminine voice called.

At first, I thought it was the man from before coming back to talk to me. Then I realized it sounded too soft and gentle to be him. Next I thought Mikoto came to save me, a childish notion I'm surprised survived my ordeal.

I groggily fluttered my eyelids, shifting slightly under my warm covers_. _

"It's time to wake up, Naruto." the voice repeated.

I tried murmuring something back, asking for more time to rest, but no sound escaped my lips.

"Wake up boy, or else I'll dump a bucket of ice water on you." someone cheerfully declared, making my eyes shoot open.

"There was no need for that, Kakashi." the woman answered, sounding to me a little irritated.

"I don't promote laziness." the cheerful voice retorted casually.

A week later I learned the hypocrisy of that statement. Or, should I say, the apparent hypocrisy.

"The Hokage asked me to teach this boy and that's what I'm going to do." it continued to say while my vision cleared.

I stared up at a sterile, white ceiling, making me think, _'That's new.'_

"He's been in a coma for almost two months."

Coma. I'd never heard that word before, yet my sheltered mind managed to realize that whatever it was couldn't be good.

"And he's all healed up, save a few minor problems." the man countered, "By all rights any kid his age should be dead, but he's not. If that's any indication of his potential, I want to get started as soon as possible. Anything that doesn't kill you makes you stronger." he said, making the lady mumble something.

"I heard that."

Groaning silently as my back creaked in protest, I sat up to see a man. He looked odd, what with his shock of spiky, silver hair and the blue mask covering most of his face- sticking his nose in an orange covered book (an awesome choice of color, I thought). He either didn't notice or care the older nurse giving him a cold glare.

The squat nurse folded her arms with a huff, "I'm glad you did."

Kakashi 'mmhed', lazily flipping to the next page of his book, "If you don't mind, I'm going to take my apprentice and leave, now."

"No, you won't." the nurse asserted, turning to face him fully, "He needs plenty of bed rest, and he's not going to get it running around all day. Doctor's orders, so you're going to have to wait."

All of a sudden Kakashi snapped his book, turning one appraising eye- his other covered by his shinobi headband- to stare right back at her.

He smiled after an oddly tense moment, "I'm not going to wait. Besides, he's going to do much more than run around, he's going to get the full apprentice treatment; chakra control exercises, jutsu of all types, physical conditioning, and much more." Kakashi smiled even wider under his mask, "Hokage's orders."

The nurse narrowed her eyes at him, "At the very least let me tell him." she hissed through clenched teeth.

Kakashi shook his head, "No can do, I'll tell him myself. You're dismissed, and thank you for showing me around."

The nurse finally scowled at him, nearly stomping out the door and shutting it loudly, but not slamming it. Without so much as a parting glance at her, Kakashi turned back to me, and smiled happily.

It eased my nerves enough for me to open my mouth to ask a question that I can't remember anymore, because only a hiss of air escaped my throat. I frowned, furling my brow in confusion.

He easily noticed my expression, "Yeah, about that..." he started delicately, "You might not remember much about what sent you here- just a few bits and pieces- it's not uncommon for the mind to forget unpleasant experiences. I'll explain it all."

Today I know he was telling the truth, part of it anyway. While the human mind can and does suppress difficult memories from time to time, my mind had a little help in forgetting.

Why? That's something answered later.

"You went through a few difficult days." Kakashi continued, losing his smile, "Does the name 'Shingi' ring any bells." he asked lightly.

I flinched at the name, feeling my body go cold, then nodded needlessly.

Kakashi nodded grimly back, "You were tortured," he started bluntly, using another word I didn't know, "and Shingi hurt you in many ways. The doctors were able to take care of most of the lasting damage, but your vocal chords weren't there to fix."

I frowned at him uncomprehendingly, goosebumps still coursing over my body.

"Do me a favor, and feel your throat right here." Kakashi said, rubbing his Adam's Apple.

I mirrored him, but instead of feeling smooth skin I felt a ropy knot covering my throat.

"That's where your vocal chords are-were." he corrected himself, "Their purpose is to let you speak, to make noise in your throat that your mouth would shape into words. Without them we wouldn't be able to speak."

He paused, "Shingi removed them from your throat."

My heart constricted, mind wheeling.

"A major part of your training under me will be learning two different sign languages, universal ninja signing and civilian." Kakashi continued, ignoring the devastated flash in my eyes, "While you work on both at home I'm supposed to teach you everything I know."

I stared at the bed-sheets, unbelieving. Tears nearly sprang to into my eyes, but something deep inside him gripped my body, unwilling to let me loose control. Then something clicked into place, like a piece of a puzzle, and my eyes quickly dried up.

I looked back up, staring my new master right in the eye without blinking. He smiled back, differently than with the nurse and with me. Years later, after I spent nearly every day in his presence and knew him, I would reflect on this day and realize what that emotion was.

Grim satisfaction.

0o0o0o0o0o

Furiously dedicated hands pounded on a worn training log in the dew-covered clearing. I punched and punched and punched with no end in sight. Sweat rolled down my forehead, my breathing fast but even.

The training log cracked under my fists, covered in a pair of dark gray gloves.

With my master's help in the last few months, I had honed my mind and body far faster than I ever thought possible. Determination burned within me, one that forced me to train long after the sun vanished beneath the horizon. I grew much stronger, a fact that filled me with a feeling I had trouble identifying.

I'll gladly say my mind changed the most though. I didn't know why; it could have been my master's influence, an effect of my training, my inability to speak, or because of that man, Shingi.

_'Don't think of it, don't you dare.'_

I punched faster and harder.

Of course I still had the occasional episode, where images flashed before my eyes, silent screams tore at my mouth, muscles seizing up as I lashed out at anyone that came too close. Then I'd still, chest heaving and eyes glazed over, before collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.

I remember silently snorting at myself. Despite all the progress I made in so short a time, the Old Man still made me visit Inoichi Yamanaka once every week before training. Always he asked me the same questions, "How's training going, Naruto?", "How do you feel right now, Naruto?", "Looking back, do you feel anything about Shingi, and what he did to you?", and "Do you have moments where you just want to scream, Naruto?"

And I always answered the same way in the same order, "Good." , "Fine." , "No.", and "Yes, right now."

I would never admit to anything, I would never admit to any weakness.

"Enough."

I paused mid-punch, pulling my arm back flush against my body, and turned to look to my sensei.

"We've worked on your strength and speed enough for now." Kakashi happily declared, having watched me at work for a while, "It's about time we work on that mind of yours."

I slowly, irritatingly slowly, signed to him, _"Are... we going... to learn..."_ I paused for a moment, looking for the right word, _"...ostrich?"_

Kakashi taught me two main types of sign language, civilian- which consists of a bunch of hand motions- and ninja- similar to the hand-signs used to cast jutsu. I rarely ever talked to civilians, and Koyuka somehow understood ninja basic, so I barely bothered to go any further than the basics since Kakashi didn't seem to care.

Kakashi quirked a lazy eyebrow, "Are we going to learn about ostriches?"

I felt my cheeks warm slightly. Reaching into my pocket I pulled out a pad and pencil, scribbled onto it, then shoved it into my master's waiting hands.

"'Are we going to learn boring stuff like history?'" Kakashi read aloud, shaking his head, "No, we're not. We're going to learn something else, something much more _useful_."

He paused for a moment, before bringing up two fingers, "Now, in the ninja world, there are two types of knowledge. Practical knowledge, and useless knowledge. Now history," he said, pointing to the pad, "Can be useful in some situations. War history, for instance, can make you think about strategy, tactics, and all that good stuff. You'll be learning about that, plus a few odds and ends I think will prove useful on a battleground."

I frowned, _"So... we're... going... to learn... stuff that... comes... from... school?"_

"Do you mean any academics, like math and science?" he asked, earning a nod from me.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but most likely no. I'm not going to force you to sift through old, dusty books like in school," Kakashi stated, "Being book-smart doesn't mean that you're cut out to be a ninja, I promise you. While intelligence can give you a slight edge in some areas, instinct and fast thinking will help you more so."

He held up two fingers, "Practical knowledge and useless knowledge," he said, before flicking me in the forehead, "Make sure to learn the difference."

I frowned slightly, "_Then what... are we... going... to... learn?"_

Kakashi smiled under his mask, eye quirking, "What do you know about the Art of War?"

The rest of that day consisted of discussion, Kakashi plying me with countless questions based around tactics and strategy. Every question I answered to the best of my meager ability, giving numerous answers I remember as weak, inefficient, impractical, or just plain stupid. My master never commented on my answers, just smiling that unnerving smile of his, nodding, then asking the next question.

I felt uncomfortable and frustrated every minute of it. Kakashi could have that affect on people whenever he wanted.

The next morning I awoke so early the sun still hid under the horizon. I went back to the same grounds, something the Hokage reserved specifically for my training. I hadn't seen the Old Man much since the day I came out of my coma. He always gave good reasons why, so I suppose I couldn't fault him.

I wasn't too surprised when I found the entire training ground quiet and devoid of life. From the first day, Kakashi didn't show up until hours after me. Having nothing to do until he showed up I always started with whatever exercises came to mind. Kakashi made up on that lost time when he inevitably showed up though, working me into the ground by the time the sun set. So I waited, going through several basic katas.

For someone who claimed he didn't promote laziness, he sure gave the impression that he did.

The inevitable eventually happened long after the sun came up. Kakashi abruptly appeared, ambling up the only forest trail that led to the training ground, all the while reading his book of choice and giggling maddeningly. He walked around the outside of the clearing, sticking to the cooler shade, eventually coming to a stop at his usual, shady tree and leaning against it. He giggled a bit, flipped the page, and smiled under his mask.

I stopped practicing and stood relaxed, hands in loose fists at my waist while I patiently waited for Kakashi to finish reading- as usual. My master laughed again, turned a page and mumbled something under his breath that sounded distinctly like "Didn't know that lemon juice could be used that way." I stood stoically, knowing soon that my master would close the book and begin instructing me.

Time passed, the sun traveled through the sky, then birds started singing.

Eye twitching, I started tapping my foot as Kakashi finally read the last page, closed the book, put it in his weapons pouch, pulled out another, and continued reading.

I sighed silently, noticing another one of his games- probably waiting to see what I would do. I chose to continue with my exercises. I kicked and punched the training logs, the weights added to my young body making every movement harder than ever. I stretched, did pull ups and sit-ups, and threw some kunai to work on my aim. I did that for hours, Kakashi doing no more than reading and giggling.

Eying the man with growing impatience, I decided to practice my katas again. I stood relaxed one second, snapped at attention then fell into a basic stance. I breathed, then started.

Several of my moves took me near Kakashi, who didn't seem to notice me. However near the end of practice, when another move brought me near him, Kakashi darted out a single hand and snatched my wrist. Before I could react, he pulled me off my feet and threw me painfully onto the ground, all without looking away from his book.

The man went back to his former position before I even hit the dirt. I shot up, glaring at him, gritting my teeth, and rubbing a spot where my elbow cracked into my side. Kakashi paid me no mind, still reading, giggling like a little girl, and flipping page after page. Eventually with one final glare at my master I calmed myself down and went back to practicing my moves.

I practiced everything I learned in the past months. Along the line, I again came close to my master, and again my master grabbed my wrist and threw me to the ground in a painful heap.

I growled silently on the ground, staring at my sensei so intently as if to will him on fire. Still Kakashi giggled, the perfect picture of inattentiveness. I sat up, watching my master intently for a long, long time- long after the flames of rage died away. The sun started setting, freezing air biting into my skin as I sat motionless.

A cool breeze ruffled the forest leaves like a hand to a young head of hair. I shivered, Konoha quickly lighting up in the distance as the warm sun finally vanished. My master giggled again, oblivious to the rapid change of temperature characteristic Fire Country's mid-fall. Somewhere an owl hooted.

I grew bored soon after, got up, and started walking away. I got a handful of steps when I felt two swift kicks to the back of my legs. Falling to the ground a forceful hand grasped my mop of hair and wrenched it back. I felt someone's knee slam into my lower back, putting much pressure on my small frame.

I'm glad I didn't so much exhale in pain, even still, as the pressure on my back increased to horrible extremes, I struggled to sign, _"...You win.."_

"Since when," Kakashi asked lazily, "do you need to tell your enemy when he's won?" the pressure vanished as the man stood up.

I, quite obviously, didn't say anything.

"I caught you completely by surprise the first time, unprepared the second, then you let your guard down the third time." his master grunted, pacing around, "The first time I could understand, but after I attacked the second time why didn't you destroy me? Was it because I looked peaceful? Distracted? Weak? Did you think me completely harmless, even though I injured and humiliated you?"

I hesitated, then nodded.

"Then let this be your first lesson in strategy." Kakashi drawled lazily, cracking his neck, "Never let your foe's appearance lull you into a false sense of security."

Then he walked down the forest trail, "From now on I'm your enemy, for there is no better teacher. It's from your foe that you learn to destroy and conquer. Only they truly show you where you're weak and where you're strong."

0o0o0o0o0o

A few weeks later I moved a piece with a trembling hand, a triumphant smirk growing on my tired face.

"He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious." Kakashi quoted happily, seemingly ignoring everything except his ever precious book.

I signed back to him, a great deal faster than a month ago, _"What's that supposed to mean? I'm winning."_

Indeed it seemed so, after a few days of teaching combat theory and strategy, we started playing chess and checkers. For over a month my master soundly stomped me in every game, taking out my king in subtle, masterful strokes and creating ingenious traps to lure me into. Not once did I come close to beating him.

Until now.

Kakashi moved his last, king-ed piece further back without looking up from his book, me following him.

Kakashi 'hmmn'ed, turning a page before flicking his eye over to the checker board. I surrounded him completely, almost all of my pieces still in play. Looking up, he eyed me for a moment then sighed lazily.

"Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance." he again quoted.

Then, in one deft stroke, the entire game changed.

Kakashi hopped one of my pieces, taking it out of the game. I had planned it to happen, having placed a piece nearby to finish him off, but he didn't take his hand off of his piece. Instead he continued on, swiftly hopping over one after another of my checkers to my growing horror.

Unbeknownst to me, my master had me trapped right from the start. While I had chased him all over the board, I unwittingly set myself up for failure.

Finally, Kakashi lazily plopped his piece down on the board, having jumped over the piece I had been chasing him with. Not a single one of my checkers had been spared.

"The worst defeat is when one is so sure of victory." Kakashi commented whimsically.

He folded his hands together and leaned forwards, his whole body and expression turning serious, "This, Naruto, is today's lesson. When in war or battle the greatest enemy is not your opponent, not his or her mind or ingenuity, but yourself." Kakashi lectured, "Weakness manifests in many forms: arrogance, overconfidence, but the worst of all is complacency, for it can affect any leader or soldier, and _will_ affect all who let it. When fighting always keep your mind clear of distracting thoughts. Keep your guard up at all times, never relax it even when victory seems apparent. Expect everything and nothing from your foe: expect them to be the greatest of tacticians, and expect them to be the greatest of fools. Never let weakness intrude upon you, for the smartest of tacticians and the luckiest of fools will always use that weakness to snatch victory from your grasp."

"I expect you to neverlet weakness cloud your mind, and I expect it willhappen again."

I rubbed my temples, a habit I picked up from my caretaker, _'What the hell is that supposed to mean?'_

0o0o0o0o0o

"All right, boy." Kakashi declared lazily, standing in the clearing's center with nose once again shoved into his book, "Today, I'm going to teach you three important lessons, two of which that go hand in hand."

Almost a year passed since Kakashi took me under his wing, a scant few weeks until my eighth birthday.

"First, I want you to remove your training weights." he started

I obliged, taking them off my ankles and arms and feeling the difference immediately.

"Now," Kakashi droned, "I want you to come at me with everything you got. However, I feel the need to tell you that I won't use my arms or hands to fight."

I frowned, sensing something amiss but obliged, charging forward and jabbing at him. The older man ducked, weaved and dodged my strikes masterfully before headbutting me, somehow never taking his eyes off his book.

I reeled back rubbing my forehead, then jumped back into the fray. I swung at his face, only for the older man to duck and savagely punch me in the gut. I hunched over with the wind knocked out of me, giving Kakashi ample time to swing around to my unprotected rear and launch me with a devastating kick.

I tumbled through the air, recovering sloppily and landing some distance away. Silently growling and blocking out the pain to my end, I signed, _"Why did you do that? You said you wouldn't use your arms or hands."_

Kakashi, once again displaying his ability to understand me without even looking, said, "Lesson one, intelligence from reliable sources may sometimes be false or unreliable. Never put stock in anything you hear unless you see it for yourself, even then suspect trickery." he punctuated this line by cracking his neck.

I cautiously circled him, muscles screaming at every movement, then jumped at him. I swung, punched, and slashed. He dodged them all fluidly before once again retaliating with a swift punch to my gut, then again launching me with a kick, this time to my chest.

I recovered quicker this time, once again glaring at him.

Kakashi smiled into his book, happily responding, "Lesson two: search your foe for a pattern." Not a moment later, I once again charged him, this time ready to deflect all surprise punches.

A shame I didn't react in time to block a kick aimed between my legs.

"Lesson three," I heard him drone through the pain overwhelming my mind, "don't expect your foe to always stick to his pattern."

0o0o0o0o0o

"Put this over your eyes." Kakashi ordered, thrusting a thick scarf into my hands.

I immediately complied, wondering what I would learn that day.

"We've gone over direct combat in extensive detail." he lectured as I secured the scarf to my eyes, "But what of indirect combat? Specifically, what are you going to do when the inevitable happens and someone ambushes you in the dark, silently? What then?"

I gave the scarf one final tug to keep it in place and signed, _"Like I do in any other situation, dodge."_

"How, when you can't see them coming, don't hear them coming, and they have surprise on their side?"

I thought for a moment then said honestly, _"I don't know."_

I imagined him nodding, flicking open his book as he continued, "Then today you'll learn a lot."

Something thick and wooden slapped me across the face, then the ribs, the arms, the shins, and -finally- the crotch. I, being the young, virile man I was, fell to the ground in an agonized heap.

I heard Kakashi sigh through a long tunnel, "And here I thought you learned your lesson last time. Do I need to take you out shopping for cups? Regardless, until I determine you can adequately dodge a training sword without the aid of sight or sound I am going to beat you senseless. When that time comes we'll move onto live weaponry. Now, lets continue."

Say what you want about his methods, at least he's honest- for a ninja.

But we would have to wait until later to continue. My muscles seized up, my back arched, my mouth cracked open in a silent scream, and I started thrashing my arms and legs. I couldn't hear Kakashi's empty reassurances as he held me down, hitting a few pressure points to disable my flailing limbs. Dozens of images flashed through my mind, and I remembered everything.

_A Knife descending._

_A flash of Blood squirting._

_A cheshire grin in the dark._

_A whisper in my ear, "Why? I'm doing this because-"._

Then nothing. I froze, mind blank and eyes wide open, then relaxed. Just before I blacked out I heard Kakashi order, "Get Inoichi immediately!"

I didn't remember that day when I woke up.

0o0o0o0o0o

Sunlight streamed through the window, landing on a pillow which should have cushioned the head of a young boy. An alarm clock, set bright and early to six O'clock, went off just in time for a small hand to switch it off. My skin felt cold and clammy, my pajamas stinking with the musk of sweat long since dried, as I sat on my bed side. I took a deep calming breath as I finished rubbing my eyes, wide awake.

Standing up, I tore off my pajamas and replaced them with one of many sets of gray and black clothes Kakashi forced on me not to long into my apprenticeship. 'Orange isn't a stealthy color,' he said rightly, 'you might as well yell at anyone nearby "Look at me! I want to die!"'

Adjusting my shirt's collar and making sure the sleeves reached all the way to my gloves, I stumbled out of my room. I passed by the hallway mirror, glimpsing at myself in a mirror for a moment.

My face sat in a stony look of deep apathy and disinterest, blank blue eyes ringed by faint black shadows. My face looked scarred and torn, a glossy scar sending a long finger up the side of my face and curling around my eye- half a brow burned off long ago. The moment passed and I continued down the hall.

Pots and pans clattered in the kitchen, letting me know that Koyuka was already up and cooking breakfast. I plopped down on the couch, the sound of straining springs alerting my caretaker.

"Naruto, you always get up so early!" she called from the kitchen, "You should at least sleep in today, your birthday of all days!"

Ever since that... _man_ snuck into the house, subdued her, and kidnapped me- leading to days of torture- she had treated me like something incredibly fragile. Even I saw the guilt that gleamed in her eyes whenever she looked at me, speaking so softly and kindly that it turned my stomach. She coddled me and spoke openly about her distaste for my master's hellish teaching methods, completely ignoring all the good it did for me.

I hated every second of it and couldn't wait until I could move out.

I, of course, couldn't respond to her remark so I sat in silence and waited with _bated_ breath to see what sort of feast she'd force upon me this morning. Didn't she know that treating me like a child would do neither of us any good?

I despondently eyed the woman as she strutted in- bearing a platter full of bacon, eggs, sausage, toast, and hash-browns- that she set down on the table in front of me. All fattening, all nutrient-less, and altogether the sort of meal weaklings would eat everyday.

"You look dreadful, pumpkin!" she fretted, making my mood worsen, "After breakfast I want you to go back to bed and rest up, you hear?"

It took all my willpower not to snap at her, instead I signed out, _"Why do you always make so much food when I hardly eat any of it?"_

For a moment she looked affronted, "Because you're a growing boy, that's why." she retorted with a little hint of impatience, "With what you go through every day, you need something that'll help make you big and strong just like you want to be."

"You know, she's got a point." Kakashi droned, casually leaping through a window, "I can tell you, if I was in your shoes, I'd be eating everything on that plate the moment before it touched the table."

Kakashi mock-frowned, "Well, all except that greasy, fattening sausage." he declared, summing up my thoughts about the whole meal, "I'll just confiscate that."

In a blink of the eye said food vanished from my plate, "Yep," he sighed, adjusting his mask, "definitely an unhealthy food."

"If it's so unhealthy," Koyuka asked through narrowed eyes, "why did you eat it?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Because I get the feeling you wouldn't mind if I one day keeled over suddenly." he happily pointed out.

Koyuka didn't answer, preferring to simply leave the room.

I snatched up a piece of toast and tore off a chunk, knowing if I left without eating anything I'd never hear the end of it. I resolved, as I did every day, to eat some of that nutrient-paste Kakashi always had on him.

"_What are we going to do today?"_

"We're doing nothing today." Kakashi responded, stealing a slice of bacon, "Wonderful!"

"_What's that supposed to mean?"_

"Exactly what I said, nothing." his master joyfully answered, "Exhausting yourself everyday and starting every morning tired and bitter will do you no good when training. Besides, today's your birthday. Celebrate, be happy, go have fun, get drunk, vandalize some stuff, whatever it is kids your age do... after all, you almost didn't make it to today. You're only eight once."

I didn't respond for a while, letting the older fellow steal a good portion of my hash-browns.

"_Why are you really here?"_ I finally asked.

Kakashi 'hmmn'ed thoughtfully, "Well now, am I finally starting to get predictable? We'll have to change that, won't we?"

He flipped open his satchel and pulled something out. Without hesitation, he put in my hand a small, six inch tanto with a modest, unadorned scabbard. I unsheathed the knife just enough to see the blade, noticing it had been painted blackish-gray to reflect less light. Its hilt made of stout coarse wood, also painted black, felt reassuring to my hand.

It had been crafted with one purpose in mind, not to look flashy or flamboyant, but to end lives swiftly, efficiently, and quietly.

"You better take good care of that, that thing cost a bit."

"_What's this for?"_ I asked.

"This is what your training will be centered around for a while." Kakashi proclaimed idly, smiling very widely, "Trust me, at the end of this you'll hate my guts. Rest today, because the real work starts tomorrow."

True to his promises he ambushed me on the way to the training ground, swinging around a giant club lit on fire. The resulting forest fire gave me an impromptu lesson on fire suppression.

**If, dear reader, you were to take a minute or two out of your day to review and answer one or more of the following questions I would be most grateful.**

**1: What do you think about my writing style?  
2: What do you think of the way I have written the characters so far, particularly Naruto and Kakashi?  
3: What do you predict will happen during the course of this story?  
4: What do you feel about this chapter's beginning, particularly the memo and the dream description?  
5: Which of the scenes struck you as the best?  
6: Does the first person viewpoint make improve the story?  
7: Do you think there is anything I can improve upon?  
**


	3. Life Lessons

**Chapter Three; Life Lessons**

_As stated in an earlier report the subject has trouble sleeping. It seems that the bleeding effect Inoichi spoke of is altering the subject in numerous ways._

_Inoichi's outlined symptoms present in the subject are as followed: trouble sleeping, an apathetic attitude towards others his age, lack of desire to engage in conversation, a desire to obtain power, and a sociopathic disregard for the welfare of others. He also seems to be very touchy about the scars left by his ordeal. Koyuka mentioned how she once walked in on him while he was dressing. It was an accident of course, but he took one look at her and threw her out his room. It seems since then she's grown wary of him, bordering on frightened. Such a problem is greatly troubling, for you know Koyuka's history as well as I do._

_I see some signs that it isn't too late to correct this._

_My proposed solution: I seem to recall that a certain Uchiha recently went on a rampage and almost destroyed his clan, leaving behind a certain younger brother as the only survivor. I think it would be possible to help both of them by placing Sasuke Uchiha under my care as my second apprentice. The two of them have similar desires, to grow much more powerful chief among them, which may help them form a semblance of comradeship between them. _

_You know I have other reasons as well, but I'll tell you later when we personally discuss this._

_-K_

0o0o0o0o0o

"Well, would you look at this?"

It occurred to me just a few weeks after my birthday that I should probably stop taking short-cuts through alleyways.

"This one's so short he could walk between my legs without touching my balls!"

"You don't got any balls."

"Fuck you!"

Thanks to my weeks of getting whacked with a wooden sword and dodging kunai I felt two others behind me, cutting off my conventional escape route. The two didn't join in on their friend's childish jeering so I quickly concluded they were either dumb muscle or simply quiet.

"What you want to do with him?" one in front of me on the right asked, looking to the boy in the middle.

"What do you think, 'Zaka?" he said harshly, making me wonder why the others followed him, "He's got to pay the toll like everyone else."

"Oh, right." 'Zaka' grunted.

"So, baby," the leader, brown hair framing his eyes, mocked. The two flanking him laughed sycophantically and I held back a disgusted sneer, "I'm in a really generous mood today so I'm going to let you choose: everything valuable on you, or we beat you up." the two behind me chuckled and I heard them cracking their knuckles in what I imagined should have been threatening.

I responded rather rapidly, _"I don't have anything on me."_ though this wasn't exactly true, I had the knife Kakashi gave me; but I wouldn't give anything to these weaklings.

This time all five laughed, "Aw, that's so cute," the one on the right said, blackish hair bouncing around as he giggled, "the little guy thinks he's a ninja! What you do to us, ninja baby? Did you shoot fire-balls at us?"

I watched them stoically as the one on the left laughed loudly, _'Just some of the most intelligent youngsters our great city made,'_ I imagined my sensei grin, _'They're so smart, they forgot some of us lowly peasants don't talk the way they do.'_

I briefly entertained the thought of simply walking away, considering my new friends seemed too busy laughing to talk, discarding the idea when I felt the two behind me straighten out and glare at my back. Eventually things settled down to where everyone stood back on their feet, a couple giggles here and there the only sign of their previous amusement.

Really now, it wasn't even that funny to begin with.

"So," the leader continued, "what will it be?"

I just cracked my neck and loosened up my body for the inevitable massacre.

The leader laughed again, his goons copying him a moment later, "I think we scared him, boys! The little ninja is trying to act all tough!"

He shook his head, waving at the two giants behind me, "Beat this runt like the man he thinks he is."

Needlessly boastful, arrogant, and time wasting.

I at once felt one of them swing a wicked- but inefficient- hay-maker, fast and powerful for my size and age. Regardless, their untrained body gave me ample time to duck under his arm, whirl around, and plant a solid fist in the teen's gut. I hit with an immense force completely at odds with my diminutive size, forcing all breath from his lungs and making him fall to his knees as the second boy swung another blocky fist at me.

I firmly caught the giant teen's arm, using his momentary shock and hunched over stature to head butt him right in the face. He reeled back, roaring and clutching his nose as a red stain seeped through his fingers. I didn't give him time to recover, advancing on him and landing a quick jab into one kidney before following up with the other. I finished him by smashing my elbow into the center of his chest, eliciting a series of odd cracks from the teen's chest before he fell limply to the ground.

The other boy stumbled to his feet gripping his stomach, prompting me to hit him with a single, devastating uppercut. He lurched off the ground before hitting it with a heavy 'thump', his neck bending at an odd angle.

I brushed off some dirt that managed to get on my shirt during the scuffle, the three remaining teens each flinching and stepping back.

"Wh-what are you two waiting for?" the leader cried, "You just going to let him beat up your friends? Get him!"

Under my indifferent eye the two flanking him exchanged wary glances. Their boss glared at them, growling a warning that made them flinch and hasten to comply. They inched closer to me, eventually parting and coming from opposite sides- my left and right- in a surprising display of tactical awareness. As soon as they got into position they hesitantly attacked.

Today I wonder how their boss got them to obey such an obviously stupid order. In a city where people sometimes had trouble telling civilian and ninja apart without the aid of headbands, ninjas sometimes blended in with the sheep. It wasn't uncommon for people to get into some sort of dispute only to learn that one could easily kill the other without so much as quickening their pulse. Of course fatalities rarely- if ever- happened on those occasions, Konohan ninja were a little more mindful than that.

Unfortunately for my friends, I wasn't.

I weaved between their fists as they assaulted me. Occasionally I deflected their blows, throwing them off balance, but I never took those opportunities. The longer it went the more difficulty I had keeping a disgusted sneer from my face. Just like the two giant goons they were weak, slow, stupid; I wondered why I even bothered fighting them in the first place.

Swiftly growing bored simply dancing around I grabbed both their fists with one hand. One teen I threw against the alley wall for later, him bouncing off it with a dry snap, while I focused on the other. The teen swung his second fist at me, so I let the captured fist go and darted to his side. I grabbed his outstretched arm with one hand, gripping at the wrist, then deftly snapped it like a twig with a quick blow to his elbow.

The teen barely had time to cry out before I swung around and hammered the crook of his back, bone cracking and giving way. I let him flop to the ground, frowning disdainfully as I turned to the one I flung at the wall.

My past year of training taught me many things and improved all my core attributes far better then the average adult's. I learned how to use chakra to augment my attacks, allowing me the kick, punch, and jab even stronger than ever. I cracked trees, broke boulders, and actually managed to bruise Kakashi once in a spar.

My master had more than two decades of combat experience. He knew all forms of combat as intimately as he would a lover. He could deflect my attacks with a flick of his wrist, soften my blows by loosening his muscles, and diffuse trauma by insulating the point of impact with chakra. Once, just to make a point, he ordered a passing ANBU to use an earth jutsu and fling a boulder at him.

It shattered when it hit him, spraying gravel, dust, and debris all around the field. When it cleared he stood in the center, unharmed, a little dirty, and reading his favorite book. He shrugged it off, used my shock to capitalize his following lesson, and I learned that one could withstand anything with the proper experience.

I walked over to the boy I threw into the wall- now on the ground clutching his chest with tears leaking from his eyes- and stomped on his throat with all the force I could muster.

He had no such experience.

It was a sound unlike any I had heard before. It snapped, cracking like a brittle piece of glass as he slowly gurgled out his last breath.

A frightened curse attracted my attention, accompanied immediately by the sounds of frantic running. I intercepted him easily enough with less weight than usual, appearing a few feet in front of the band's fleeing leader. He skidded to a halt as I bashed him in the groin, bringing his head down to my level. Not a moment later, I followed up with a devastating uppercut aimed squarely at the teen's forehead.

My training weights made the oddest of noises when it bounced off the kid's skull.

I indifferently watched him somersault back, landing on the ground in a boneless heap. I took a moment to eye the motionless teens, listening to the third's pathetic moaning, then turned and continued walking.

The details melted from my mind a few days later, replaced by a less violent fantasy that ended with them all running off scared. It wasn't until the blocks in my head finally failed that I remembered the night in all its gory detail.

0o0o0o0o0o

The next morning I walked to the grounds to find Kakashi already there, sitting in clearing's very center. Surprised, I readily obeyed when he nodded for me to sit down in front of him without looking away from his book. What didn't surprise me was the initial silence that stretched for almost an hour.

_'Yet another test of my patience.'_ I thought, a test I was determined to score well in.

Kakashi abruptly snapped the book closed, "Well?" he demanded harshly, "Explain yourself!"

Despite myself I flinched, _"What do you mean?"_

"You don't think I've know what happened yesterday?" gone my master's laid-back, lazy tone, "That I wouldn't have found out? I know everything that happens to you, boy, _everything_!"

I shrunk under his burning gaze.

"All I want to know is why? Why did you fight an unnecessary fight?"

I meekly signed back, _"I didn't start the fight."_

"Didn't you hear me?" Kakashi demanded, standing up, "I didn't ask you who started the fight, I asked why you fought it! What did you get from it? Nothing! I didn't take you on as my apprentice because I wanted to teach you how to charge mindlessly into every fight or battle that comes your way!"

I lowered my head, unresponsive.

"In fact because of that fight you've gained _enemies_: people who may devote great time and effort into hunting you down and making you pay!"

I scoffed audibly. _'Let them come,'_ I thought,_ 'I beat them once, I'll beat them again no matter what they do.'_

"Overconfidence, boy! What did I tell you about letting weakness clouding your mind? You won against them yesterday, but what of tomorrow; the next week, or the next year? You _might_ be strong enough to defend yourself against them if there is a next time, but who knows how strong they'll be? They'll have all the opportunity in the world to plan their attack while you plug along at life, oblivious. It takes a special kind of idiot to make enemies where one can gain friends instead. I hope you're happy."

"_I didn't start the fight!"_ Iinsisted, lowering my head even further.

I felt his glare on me as he paced back and forth, "You said you didn't start the fight?" I nodded meekly, "Then did you try anything to _avoid _it?"

Silence.

"Well?" Kakashi demanded.

I shook my head.

A moment later I felt an oppressive force blanket me. Entirely alien, it made my heart beat frantically, my eyes widen. Sweat rolled down my forehead, running into my eyes and making them sting. Then it vanished.

"It seems that you absorbed everything I taught you, save restraint." Kakashi growled, sitting back down, "So today, we're going to have only one lesson." he closed his eyes.

He didn't say anything for a few minutes, then asked, "What does it mean when you fight someone?"

I thought a moment, _"I don't understand."_

He rubbed his temples with his fingers, the first time he ever showed something akin to impatience in front of me, "When you give someone a gift the hidden meaning behind it is usually to show them that they're your friend and you care for them. What's the meaning of fighting?"

I thought again for a minute, _"I still don't understand."_

"...Why would two wild animals fight over food?"

"_So they could eat it."_

"Why couldn't they simply share it?"

"_Because they're savage animals."_

"Think for a moment that they have all the intelligence of humans... now tell me why."

"_...Because they don't care what happens to the other so long as they survive, which they need food to do."_

"What is the instinct for survival?"

"_The instinct to... live another day."_

Kakashi smiled a small smile behind his mask, "So what's the most primal meaning for fighting?"

"_Animals fight each other so that they can get the resources to live another day."_

"Now tell me why an animal's only way to ensure survival is to fight."

"_...Because... they love to fight?"_

"No, it's because they don't have the intelligence of humans."

"_...I thought you told me to think animals are as smart as people."_

Kakashi sighed, shaking his head in mock disappointment, "And here I was thinking I beat all that smart ass-ness out of you."

I relaxed slightly at the joke, my tenseness dissolving a little.

"Most animals don't have the capability to come up with ways to ensure survival without fighting. That is what separates us from beasts; we have the intelligence to actively avoid unnecessary conflict. When most _intelligent_ people resort to fighting, it means they've exhausted all developed options that don't involve physical harm to their opponent, which shows that they're willing to kill to advance their goals."

Kakashi sighed again, closing and rubbing his eye, "What I'm trying to tell you is simple: use that god-damned head of yours to _avoid_ fighting when you can. All it takes is one mess-up, a single overlooked detail out of the millions present in every battle, and that's it; you're dead and buried." He shook his head, leaning forward casually, "But enough of that, I have one more question: are you willing to die?"

That threw me off balance. _"What?"_

Kakashi frowned, broadcasting his voice loudly, "I said that those who fight should be willing to kill, and that those who're willing to kill should be ready to die. Are you ready to die?"

I blinked, thinking, then asked, _"Why are you asking me this?"_

Kakashi kept his eye on me, "Because you clearly showed yesterday that you've scorned my teachings in favor for fighting unnecessary battles, any of which can easily result in your death or injury. The moment you swung a fist at those teenagers, you revealed you were willing to fight and kill them. So I'm asking again, are you willing to die in return?"

I thought long and hard about it, _"I... think so."_

"You think?"

I nodded.

"Then think some more," he commented cheerfully, "after all, you'll have plenty of time to do it since you're getting the next week off." he added, making my face flash surprise.

"Don't look at me like that, you're getting punished for being a dumb-ass! If you even so much as lift a finger to train, what this punishment seems like will be _nothing_ compared to what I'll dish out then."

The man stood back up, cracking his back with an indifferent eye, then left me to sit in an empty clearing all by myself. I left eventually, wondering what the hell I'd do for the next week.

0o0o0o0o0o

_All following information is classified as a Tier One Secret of the State, readable only by the Hokage and those added to the file's chakra cipher. _

_**-Subject One:**_

_Name: Idro Yama_

_Age: 15_

_Injuries: broken nose, hairline fractures to the skull, two ruptured kidneys, crushed sternum, bruised heart, and several free-floating ribs puncturing the heart, lungs and liver._

_Status: deceased. _

_Cause of death: undetermined. _

_**-Subject Two:**_

_Name: Nakato Yama_

_Age: 14_

_Injuries: ruptured spleen, ruptured liver, bruised intestines, ruptured gallbladder, ruptured stomach, broken cervical vertebrate, massive internal bleeding, and severed brain stem._

_Status: deceased._

_Cause of death: undetermined._

_**-Subject Three:**_

_Name: Sainama Hiruto_

_Age: 15_

_Injuries: dislocated and broken arm, and severe, irreversible damage to several lumbar vertebrae._

_Status: paralyzed from the waist down. Mind was wiped of all relevant information. Currently residing in Konoha general hospital, awaiting to be discharged into the care of his family. _

_**-Subject Four:**_

_Name: Zakatu Inu_

_Age: 15_

_Injuries: several cracked and broken ribs, and crushed trachea._

_Status: deceased._

_Cause of death: combination of suffocation and massive internal bleeding, unknown which ended his life._

_**-Subject Five:**_

_Name: Kan Shao_

_Age: 16_

_Injuries: two ruptured testicles, shattered pelvis, ruptured prostate, fractured skull, and severe hemorrhaging to the frontal lobe of the brain._

_Status: has been placed in Konoha General Hospital. In no position to disclose culprit's identity, being in a coma. Doctors predict that if he comes out of it, he'll have lost all conscious and intelligent thought._

_Note:__ Mind wiped of relevant information just in case. As a side effect the Subject's brain death has been ensured._

_**Culprit:**__ Naruto Uzumaki_

_Occupation: Ninja Apprentice_

_Status: cleared of all charges._

_**Fallback Culprit:**__ Hirutio Takehata _

_Occupation: Low-level enforcer of a rising Yakuza gang._

_Status: Necessary memories implanted and possible alibis cleared and dealt with. His involvement will be deduced from choice evidence at the scene, and a confession will be secured during his trial. This will offer an excuse to rid the city of the small time gang._

_Note:_ _After__ report is circulated to the usual recipients dispose of it along with all evidence of the investigation. _


	4. Social Lessons

**Chapter Four: Social Lessons**

"I still can't believe you _killed_ three children when you were eight! Why didn't the Hokage stop your training when he realized how unstable you were?"

I sigh at him, shaking my head as I shuffle the report down the pile. I would show him, but doing that would ruin the surprise.

"_Answering that question would spoil a lot of the interesting stuff. I'll answer, all in due time, but take a look at this."_ I sign, handing him a different file.

_Classification Level: S_

_Report: 182-XND-L57_

_Subjects: Shingi Huang_

_Crime: The kidnapping, imprisonment, and systematic torture of Naruto Uzumaki in hopes to drive him towards mental instability._

_Motivation: Several personal documents the team has located suggest that he was torturing Uzumaki for revenge; not revenge against the boy himself, but revenge against current Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. A few mention an extreme mix of anger, regret, and sorrow over -. Other documents relate how he had to -, and how he - to -. A few other documents mention how he was going to locate and join Orochimaru after he finished with Uzumaki, because -._

_Status of Criminal: Died in the explosion of his residence, remains recovered. The investigation team discovered that- (The rest of the document is obscured in black ink.)_

"An incidence report."

"_One supplied by the Councils of Konoha." _

"I thought you were on good terms. Why did they cover this file in black ink?"

"_They didn't, I did." _I answer, the Chronicler looking at me.

"Why?"

"_Because I wanted to show you early on that they investigated my torture and kidnapping extensively, but didn't want the report to spoil my story."_

That provokes a smile from the man, "Are you some sort of master storyteller now?"

"_Why remain mediocre when you can become one of the best? I have little else to do since I retired. Although, this story in particular... I don't really like telling it."_

"Why?"

"_Because it reminds me that I was a young tool. Whenever I reflect on my childhood or think of my rise through Konoha my mood sours. I can't help but think of a thousand different ways I could have done something differently, from dealing with Koyuka to simple things like picking up a rock."_

"That seems a little self critical."

"_I killed three teens before I realized girls weren't just men with boobs."_ I pointed out, earning a weird combination of a grin and cringe, _"If I could rewrite my life I wouldn't be here now."_

"What would your wife say to that?"

"_That she understands but is glad things turned out the way they did. We've had this conversation before."_

The Chronicler nods then retrieves his pad and pencil, ready to continue.

"_If it wouldn't be to much of a problem, could every once and a while I switch to a different story? I already want to go back in time and smack some sense into myself."_

"How about at the end of every interview?"

"_That will work."_

0o0o0o0o0o

Three punches; two to the chest, one to the gut. Duck under his sword as he swings it, counter with a strong punch to the kidney. Jump over another sword and bludgeon him in the head with the heel of a foot, breaking his neck on impact.

I landed in a crouch, my blonde bangs framing my face and hiding it in shadow.

A lull in the battle, they watched me tentatively as they wait for me to make the next move.

Silence.

"Why did you stop moving?" a lazy voice abruptly asked, "There won't be any 'dramatic pauses' in a real fight, giving you time to come up with a new plan. If you tried this outside of a cheap action movie someone would come up behind you and chop your little head off."

I felt a tingling sensation go through my neck, the tell-tale sign of an illusionary sword cutting through me.

"Just like that!"

I sighed.

It had been a few weeks since Kakashi ordered me to take a few days off. Time had passed rather slowly that week without any training, so when the day finally came that I could continue I threw myself back into the regime.

The genjutsu reset itself. A field previously draped with countless unconscious and motionless bodies vanished, replaced by a horde of grinning bandits. All brandished various weapons of many shapes and sizes, all surrounding me.

"Again," Kakashi grunted, "and this time let's see if you don't kill anyone."

I rolled out of the way as a bandit behind me swung, similar to a man chopping wood, a huge claymore. Without looking at him I kicked out and heard the realistic sound of a knee snapping, feeling bone and sinew cave in under-foot.

I launched myself at another bandit before the injured one had a chance to cry out. I buried my fist into the man's imaginary gut to drive the breath from his false lungs, swiftly following it up with a chop to the neck. As that one crumpled, I felt one bandit swing a crudely cut club at my head. I hopped back to avoid it, only to parry an incoming sword with the knife hidden within my sleeve.

The club wielding one swung again, forcing me to duck. It sailed over my head, hearing it solidly connect something with a crack and a body hit the ground.

"And that's the first death, but you didn't do it so it doesn't really count."

A kick here, duck there, deflect, parry, flourish, duck again, a kick in gut. I came face to face with a giant wearing some shiny steel armor and swinging around an ax the size of a small man.

"If you ask me this guy is compensating for something." Kakashi cheerfully supplied from thin air.

I nearly rolled my eyes, dodging a horizontal swipe and taking the giant down with a single punch to his exposed face.

"You're having no trouble, are you? Maybe I should move you onto something tougher but I have other plans for today. Speaking of which..."

The illusion dissolved, all bloodthirsty societal lowlifes vanishing to reveal the my training clearing. A babbling brook, a series of somehow indestructible training logs, a small lake and a couple of weapons targets off to the side- all surrounded by a thick ring of trees- seemed innocuous to the untrained eye. However something new appeared while I practiced under the genjutsu, namely a boy around my age whom felt familiar somehow. He wore a blue shirt with matching pants, an expression of forced indifference, and a mop of black hair that stuck up in the back.

The boy shifted from foot to foot, "So..." he drawled, looking around, "When are you going to teach me?"

A great first impression.

Kakashi slowly closed his book, "It's not good manners to just ignore people." he droned, sounding completely and utterly bored, "First, I want you to introduce yourself to the blonde midget you just saw jumping around the clearing like a toddler who drank a whole gallon of soda."

The boy frowned slightly, before forcing his face to indifference once more. Without taking his eyes off the older man he addressed me, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha." and left it at that.

Kakashi grunted, "It's rude not to look at people when you talk to them."

Sasuke, apparently, scowled lightly before turning to me and once again saying, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha."

"_I'm Naruto Uzumaki."_ I swiftly replied, making the other boy's eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"Is he deaf?" Sasuke asked tactfully, looking back to Kakashi.

Kakashi seemed to frown behind his mask, "It's also rude to talk about people as if they're not there."

Sasuke lowered his head a bit, then turned back to me, "Are you deaf?"

I shook my head, watching him closely.

"...Anyway." Kakashi cheerfully began, making Sasuke turn back, "You asked me when I was going to teach you. However, in order to teach you, I need to know what you currently know, so I want you and my apprentice to fight to the death."

Kakashi delivered that line with such seriousness, such a blank expression, that a look of horror crossed Sasuke's face.

"Or until one of you gets knocked senseless, or injured, or forfeits..." the older man added almost as an afterthought, waving vaguely in one direction, "Really, as much as I'd love to have two pre-pubescent boys kill each other for my amusement, the lawsuits would be a real pain."

Sasuke blinked as he absorbed this... information of sorts, "Just how," he suddenly demanded, "did you become my sensei?!"

"Too many sexual favors than I can count," Kakashi happily retorted without skipping a beat, "and let me tell you, I'm still tired."

Sasuke blinked, and I looked between them indifferently. Being the children we were we had no idea what he meant. Once puberty hit though...

"Naruto," Kakashi continued casually, "if you lose this- you know what? I'm just going to leave it up to your imagination."

I imagined that another week off would be my prize if I lost. So I settled into a loose versatile stance and waited for the fight to start.

"Begin."

I didn't waste any time, beginning with a swift spring kick aimed at his head. He dodged, showing more skill than I thought him capable of. Not discouraged in the slightest, I twirled around and jabbed at him several times; some connected, but the rest he dodged, deflected or blocked competently. I imagine he thought he wouldn't last much longer in close quarters, as Sasuke tried to put some distance between us.

Hopping around several times to do just that he scowled when I didn't let up, following him without hesitation and continuing to deliver calculated blow after blow. We did this several times, making me quickly grow tired of this game. I deliberately let a weakness creep into my form and I saw a flash in his eyes as he took the bait.

He swung, breaking through my guard and hitting me in the stomach. I remember thinking that he hit pathetically, with barely enough force to drive a breath from my lungs. I pretended to double over and he predictably went in for the kill, with what he probably imagined to be a devastating uppercut to my chin.

I switched out with a log to disorient him, sending his eyes wide in shock since I didn't use any seals. Before Sasuke could blink I swept him off his feet from behind. He landed on the ground on his side, and I flicked my knife into my hand and pressed it against his throat to discourage any resistance.

Back then he was just another kid from the ninja academy; weak, stupid, arrogant, and so sure of his superiority. The best of the bunch, but that didn't mean much after I humbled him so easily.

A year earlier he would have destroyed me. Six months into my apprenticeship we would have tied. A whole year in, he didn't stand a chance, such was the intensity of my-our- instruction.

"Decently done, both of you." Kakashi commented lazily, watching us both, "Naruto, get that knife away from his neck."

I pulled the cold steel from his neck, leaping off the ground and onto my feet. Sasuke got up moments later, Kakashi motioning him over.

"Now, I have a lot of questions for you before I start teaching you." he grunted, "First off..."

The next few hours Kakashi asked Sasuke questions of all sorts. He answered some confidently, others hesitantly, while a few confused him and left he fumbling weak answers. I listened at first and silently answered the questions myself then went off by to work on whatever came to mind, namely sharpening my blade.

The day went by quickly and at the end Kakashi gave him a set of weights to wear day and night until he got used to them. For a few minutes after I did chakra exercises in silence, trying to come up with how to broach the subject.

I stopped suddenly, turning to my master and signing, _"Are you sure this is a good idea?"_

Kakashi answered without looking up from his book, "Are you concerned that me teaching another will slow down your training?"

"_Yes."_

"You don't need to worry, I can juggle a few things at once."

"_But he's so weak, why are you wasting time on him?" _

"He's stronger than you when I first trained you," he commented, turning a page, "and I get the feeling he'll catch up quickly. Besides, as you are now you'd be a decent challenge to any new genin, did you expect an academy student to pose much of a threat to you?"

"_...No, not really."_

"Then you fail."

0o0o0o0o0o

"Alright." Kakashi droned the next day. Taking a blocky timer and winding it he dismissively tossed it somewhere in the grass, "That is set to go off at three in the afternoon; when we finish today's training."

"Why are we ending it so soon?" Sasuke challenged, eyes narrowing, "Yesterday you said we'd be training all day! I can't get stronger if we slack off all the time!"

Though I silently agreed- unwilling to air my annoyance in such a loud way- I felt irritated at what I perceived as whining.

The older man eyed him evenly, intoning, "I'm going to let that narcissistic comment slide since you don't have any idea what my training is like."

Kakashi took off the backpack resting on his shoulders. Flipping off the lid, he grabbed one of many small, orange balls and tossed it up and down in one hand. "This," he informed, "is your first day of training. With your weights on, I'm going to throw these at you while you dodge."

He threw the ball with a weak underhand throw; which Sasuke step-sided easily, "This is the advanced training you told me about?!" he demanded, "I can do this at home! What about jutsu? I need something that will completely destroy people!"

"Typical, you children are always on about learning flashy and wasteful jutsu." Kakashi retorted, throwing another ball, "What you kids don't understand is that you can't build a house without a foundation. What good will knowing a jutsu that can level a city when a single kunai thrown by some canon fodder ninja can and will kill you? Balance, boy, that's what all ninjas should work on first."

"Can't we do something else?" Sasuke asked.

"We're working on your speed, evasion, and a whole slew of other valuable skills." the man insisted, tossing another ball.

"Can't we do that someway else?" Sasuke repeated, louder..

Kakashi paused in his ball throwing, fixing Sasuke with a lazy look, "It seems you appear unconvinced." he droned, "So, to prove you wrong; I heard that the Uchiha's rite of passage is learning the Grand Fireball Jutsu, do you know it?"

I heard Sasuke answer a little unhappily, "Kinda."

"Is that a yes, or no?"

"I know it, it's just... weak."

_'Like you.'_ I thought unhelpfully, practicing taijutsu on a log.

"So you need to work on it," I heard Kakashi counter, "big deal, it'll serve the lesson's purpose. Now, what I want you to do is use it on me."

"What?"

"Did I stutter? I told you to use it on me."

"But, I don't want to hurt you."

I scoffed silently, cracking my fists against the log.

"Who said I'd let it hurt me?" Kakashi pointed out, "Now this time I'm ordering you; use it on me."

I looked over and saw the Uchiha shuffle from foot to foot uneasily, before raising his hands in preparation to cast a jutsu. He hesitated, then made the first sign.

Kakashi threw another ball almost lazily, but somehow fast enough that Sasuke didn't notice until it weakly bounced off his forehead. "That," he droned, "was a kunai and now you're dead. When you commit to a course of action, no matter how much time it takes you to decide what, follow it through with confidence; for the slightest of hesitation can cost you your life. Now try again."

Sasuke scowled, speeding through hand-seals as fast as he could. However, before he could finish even the first, Kakashi threw another ball; much faster than I had ever seen him throw anything before. It slammed into Sasuke's belly and violently cracked out, forcing the breath from his body. He collapsed, clutching his stomach.

It took a while for him to recover, being as 'weak' as he was. Once he finally did Sasuke saw Kakashi waiting patiently. Eying him with the same, inscrutable expression, he walked over to him and helped him up.

"Do you now see why I still want you to work on your dodging speed?" Kakashi asked, walking back to his pack, "You're rather well trained for your age, but a real ninja would have been more than capable of dodging that child's toy. Now, if you're ready to start training."

Sasuke nodded, rubbing his belly. Kakashi eye-smiled, throwing another ball with one hand and making an odd sign behind his back with his other. Sasuke dodged this one easily as well, only to frantically jump out of the way when something only he could see shot at him with breakneck speed.

Kakashi stood up, walking over me, "You're practically waiting with _bated breath_ to see what I have for you to do today, aren't ya?" he dully declared, "Well, I got just the thing for you. Did you know that _every single _hand-sign has a one-handed variant?"

I shook my head, wondering why such a thing would matter until I connected a few things; namely what Kakashi just did with the genjutsu. I smirked at the possibilities.

You're not all that familiar with chakra theory are you? I suppose I can spare a moment to explain; hand-signs are necessary to cast jutsu and focus the body's chakra in certain ways, that's why thousands of them exist. For example, to cast a decent fireball you need to use the sign for fire, a sign for shape, another to send it through the air, another to keep it together as it flies, one that determines where the fireball comes from, and the last one to make it explode on impact, burn through your target, dissipate, or whatever you want to make it do.

Of course with enough practice you would get used to molding chakra enough to shorten the chain of signs from six to five, five to four and so on. That's why many ninja clans that rely on secret techniques rather than bloodlines train their children so extensively in jutsu. If their ninja need only one or two hand-signs to cast their clan jutsu, they can use them freely without anybody stealing them.

What Kakashi taught me revolutionized my use of jutsu for my entire life. Instead of using two hands for a single sign I could form two signs at a time, cutting the casting time in half. This gave me, and later Sasuke, an incredible edge over the many who used the regular variant- as single handed signing wasn't that common.

"Glad to see that you're excited! Now, just let me show you them in the same order I first taught you... Got that?" he asked, smiling, "Good! Now, you need to practice these extensively because they aren't as potent at casting jutsu as the two-handed ones, at first. Once you master them they'll be just as good at channeling chakra as two-handed. Once you master this first set, I'll teach you the next, and the next, and the next until you know them all. With what I have in mind for your future lessons, mastering them is essential."

"_Why does he get to go through the dodging genjutsu on the first day?"_ I asked, looking over at Sasuke. It wasn't that I was jealous, I couldn't care less about him then, it's just that I had to go through quite a bit of training before I went through it.

I also wondered why he didn't cast a genjutsu on me rather than beat my testicles with a wooden sword for a few months.

"Simple, my young apprentice." Kakashi drawled, "He has years of clan and academy training while you started off as some random civilian boy. So while you work on you work on one handed jutsu, I'm going to sit under that big shady tree over there and read my favorite book."

I walked up to one of the multiple enhanced training logs, ducking slightly when Sasuke flew over my head- chased by some illusionary weapon. I quickly made a couple seals using both hands and blew a long, thin tongue of flame at the log. I held it for a few seconds, warming my face and blowing my hair around lightly, then released it.

I took a moment to examine the training log and noted that, where the flames connected, it left a small, smoldering gouge- one already fading before my eyes. Not a moment after I stopped the damage vanished without a trace, myself casting the same jutsu using only one hand.

It materialized once more, thinner and shorter; the log out of reach by more than an arm's length. I released it again, frowning.

Looks like I had yet another thing to work on every day.

The day passed swiftly for me, as they always did. I steadily grew more proficient with one-handed seals in the nine hours of training I had. The tongue of flame grew thicker and longer the more I trained, but even by the end of the day it didn't touch the log. I only paused training to eat and drink and as a consequence sweated buckets, my clothes reeking with the smell of success.

Even with my simple task my advanced weights made me work for every movement.

Sasuke on the other hand collapsed a mere two hours into his new training regime and fell asleep. What Kakashi saw in him I couldn't hazard a guess, it was beyond me.

The kid was lazy, that much I thought I saw. A simple dodging exercise with three weights tired him out of all things. I didn't like to brag, but I had half again my own weight on me at the start of the day. Then my master tripled it after I whined about Sasuke again.

As the timer ringed I took a clumsy step and fell face first when my ankle popped to the side.

_'Oh... can't breathe...'_

Having two-hundred and seventy pounds strapped to your body had a few drawbacks until you got used to it. Until then you felt like your entire body slowly killed itself.

Despite how quickly I grew in strength there were times when I wanted to rip that giggling shit's head off and just leave that damn village. The only thing that stopped me was the knowledge that they'd have ANBU on my ass within minutes, and the fact I wouldn't betray my grandfather. Oh yeah, and Kakashi would have destroyed me with his little finger.

The source of my ire helped me up, "No time to relax, Naruto, we've got to get somewhere and get a job to do something."

"_Think you can lighten my weights a little?"_

He shrugged casually, "I think I can; but no, I won't."

I frowned, _"What about the Uchiha?"_

Kakashi raised his arm, showing off the pail of water he'd been carrying, "What do you think this bucket of ice cold water is for?" he asked, dumping it all over Sasuke.

Sasuke sputtered and flailed around before freezing and moaning painfully, "Ohhhh... I hurt in places I didn't know could hurt."

Kakashi rolled his eye, bending over and putting a small capsule in his Sasuke's mouth, "Chew."

Sasuke readily obliged, too tired to refuse. I waited, knowing what would happen. His muscles would remain cramped for a moment, aching worse than he thought possible; then a gentle warmth would seep through his limbs, swiftly reinvigorating him to the point where he could easily pick himself off the ground- which he did.

"What did you give me?" Sasuke asked.

"I'll tell you on the way to the Hokage tower." Kakashi droned, walking away without a care.

0o0o0o0o0o

"What do you have-" Kakashi paused, looking the missions clerk right in the eye, "I don't remember your face, you new here?"

The man nodded almost timidly, his long brown hair waving a greeting, "My name is-"

"Hiruzonu?"

"...no, it's Kara."

Kakashi rubbed his chin, "Hmmm... why does that name fill me with dread?" a moment passed, then he shrugged to himself. "Well, I hope your first day working here has been fun so far. What sort of missions do you have on hand?"

Kara fidgeted behind his desk, "Um... if you're a jonin sensei, why do you have only two," he eyed us, "very young students?"

Kakashi responded cheerfully "That, my boy, is where you're wrong. I'm not a jonin sensei, but a master, and these," he gestured to us, "are my apprentices."

He turned his head, smiling, and ordered, "Show him your cards, my cute little soldiers."

We reached into our respective pockets and produced two nearly identical pieces of plastic. Both had information of dubious importance including: name, birth-date, apprenticeship rank, blood type, and other tidbits. Both came with photographs that made the missions clerk shift uneasily. In each a young boy stared impassively at the camera, eyes completely devoid of the childish glee that should have glinted like a beacon.

If not for the obvious differences one would easily assume us brothers.

We had apprenticeship cards; cards we could show at any Ninja store to get access to items reserved for academy students and genin ranked ninja, and at a substantial discount too. Had some sort of special material in them that made the cards impossible to counterfeit, helps keep a few greedy and corrupt merchant families from buying real "Ninja Toys" for their children.

After all, it wouldn't do to have irresponsible children- with even more irresponsible parents- run around with various stabbing, slashing, or exploding implements. Those childishly serious arguments about who poked whom first would become... problematic.

Kakashi happily declared, "My name's Kakashi Hatake, I should be on the Master's List."

The clerk looked down and flipped through his pile of papers, "Ah, yes, here you are. So," he nervously looked back at him, "you want a D rank mission, right?"

"If I can't get a higher ranked one," Kakashi smiled, "then yes."

Kara flipped through a few papers, "Um... there's one here about babysi-"

"Nope."

"...There's another one here." Kara lifted a paper timidly, "It's a simple retrieval mission."

Kakashi took the paper, reading the description, then grunted neutrally, "I suppose this will do." Turning on his heel he marched out the front door, the two of us trailing after.

"What are we supposed to go after?" Sasuke asked, trying to sound bored, "It better not be anything stupid, like some civilian cat stuck up a tree."

I scoffed, silently agreeing but unwilling to admit it to the weakling, _"It's still a mission and we still need to do it."_

Sasuke grunted, seeming to have little trouble reading my rapid signing. I wondered how for a moment then dismissed it as unimportant.

"It may seem like something simple," Kakashi stated, suddenly grave as we exited the city through the main gates, "but things are not always what they seem. Keep cool, use your brains, and you may get out of this mission alive."

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow, while I simply asked, _"What's the mission?"_

"You are to retrieve a potentially dangerous animal alive." my master answered, scanning the forest and ignoring the crowd bustling past us.

"_What sort of animal?"_

Kakashi handed me the mission paper, two sheets stapled together. I read the instructions quickly, Sasuke trying to do so over my shoulder, then flipped the page to show a picture of our target.

Sasuke snorted incredulously, "A rabbit?" he demanded, voice rising in pitch, "Our mission to retrieve a 'potentially dangerous animal' is chasing after a rabbit?"

"Bunny." Kakashi corrected gravely, "You two are retrieving a bunny."

"What's the difference?"

Kakashi waved vaguely, "The mission file called it that, of course." he countered dispassionately, as if it was obvious, "Need to follow the mission file. Just don't let its fluffiness fool you, for all you know, it can breath fire."

Sasuke grunted, taking a few steps away from me and massaging his forehead.

"Now, get to it boys."

0o0o0o0o0o

"Is that our target?" Sasuke demanded, trying not to let his irritation show and failing miserably. That soldier pill Kakashi gave him worked for a little while. It revitalized him, yes- in fact he still brimmed with energy. The chemicals relaxing his screaming muscles faded away awhile ago. He needed a hot bath to help with that and the stink seeping through his clothes judging from what wafted my way.

I silently examined the bunny from our bushes- it had fluffy white fur, a black spot over one eye, and a small, furry tail. I looked back at the picture again and nodded, they looked exactly alike.

Sasuke grunted, "Good." stood up and stumbled out of the bushes, irritably approaching the bunny.

I grabbed onto his arm and swung him around, _"The report said it could be dangerous. Don't just walk up to it like an idiot."_

Sasuke tore himself away, "It's just a stupid bunny!" he growled, "Maybe if you actually used that head of yours, like your stupid master told you to, you'd realize that its _not_ dangerous."

I kept my face neutral.

"I wasted an hour looking for this thing, and I'm not spending another minute chasing after this retarded, ugly, _rabbit_!" Sasuke growled, red-faced and furious.

That was the last straw.

The bunny (because rabbits are a completely different, thank you) launched itself at Sasuke's unprotected backside. The only thing I saw that warned me was a white blur and a shrill war cry.

Sasuke screamed, hands flailing as he whirled around and almost hit me in the face. The sudden movement made the bunny lose it's grip and fly at a tree. As he fell to the ground, hands clutching his shredded pants and bleeding rump, the bunny righted itself in midair and landed on the tree- feet first. Not even sparing a glance at Sasuke or I it plopped back onto the ground and hopped off into the forest, innocent and carefree.

I critically eyed Sasuke's moaning form on the ground, looked at the retreating bunny, and back at Sasuke. I sighed, fumbling through my pockets with a tinge of annoyance crossing my face.

_'Now, where did I put those bandages...'_

0o0o0o0o0o

_'Maybe I should have left him and caught the thing on my own?' _I thought, watching Sasuke at work.

He hunched over a particularly _fascinating _looking broken twig. In the thirty minutes since the bunny vanished he had refused to so much as look at me. It wasn't that the trail left by the bunny was difficult to follow, in fact my eyes could follow the trail for a good twenty yards before I lost sight of it, but an entirely different, fluffy reason.

Sasuke confirmed it himself when he stood back up and continued following the trail, saying over his shoulder, "Don't say anything."

I almost responded out of instinct, but stopped when I reminded myself Sasuke wasn't Kakashi. So, I sped up and tapped him on his shoulder

Sasuke snarled, whirling around, "What do _you_ want to say?" he demanded heatedly.

Ignoring my 'friend's' anger, I simply responded, _"How can a mute man say anything?"_

"What's the point of correcting me about a stupid figure of speech?"

I sighed mentally. It had become a habit of sorts, Kakashi often purposely misinterpreted things I said in odd ways; so I needed to spell out things in clear language to get my point across. It developed to the point where I started correcting others, even the old man during his sparse visits, in conversations.

To answer I simply quoted my master, _"Unclear communication can result in very undesirable outcomes." _and left it at that.

Sasuke snorted, "That one of your stupid master's sayings?"

I retorted casually, _"Yes but its not stupid. We're off topic, though, this time- when we catch up to the bunny, how about you put it in a genjutsu a-"_

"It's just a stupid bunny! I don't see why we need to do anything more than grab it." Sasuke growled, kicking at a rock, "Besides, I don't know any genjutsu."

"_You underestimated it before, you got bit in the ass. I might not be nice enough to give you my bandages next time. How about this, w-" _

Sasuke snarled through grit teeth, "I said. Don't. Say. Anything." spun around, and stomped after the trail the bunny left behind. I sighed silently, air hissing out my throat as I exhaled, then followed.

As young as I was I hadn't developed my infamous silver tongue- so we traveled without a word after that.

It took another hour to catch up to the bunny again. This time when we found it Sasuke didn't bother with overrated stealth (even though he was supposed to be a ninja apprentice). He simply walked up to it and glared at it hatefully. It mockingly twitched, scrunched, twiddled -whatever the hell bunnies do with their nose- at him, eliciting a deep growl.

"I'm going to make you pay for the embarrassment you caused me!" he shouted, roughly closing his hands in around it.

I rolled my eyes, accompanied by a silent snort after the bunny danced through my 'friend's' fingers.

Sasuke growled again, diving after the bunny as it tried hopping away. For a brief moment it looked like he would actually catch it, but then it jumped into the air -over Sasuke's outstretched hands as he slid over the grass and dirt- and landed on his head. It shook its cotton tail, amused, and hopped off into the forest again.

However I was ready this time. Instead of crudely jumping after it like Sasuke insisted on doing I whipped out a large black bundle with small weights hanging from it. Just as the bunny jumped from Sasuke's head I tossed the bundle, it unfurling into a net.

For a moment it seemed that the net would work. It enclosed around the bunny, but then it vanished. One moment it had been there hopping away, the next no trace of it remained. I quickly scanned the woods around me but saw nothing other than trees.

Sasuke slowly got up, spitting out dirt and bits of grass, a fire in his eyes, "I. Hate. That. Rabbit."

"_Bunny."_

0o0o0o0o0o

"Where is this bunny supposed to be?" demanded Sasuke, growling, as we scoured the forest, "We haven't seen it in hours!"

True.

"The trail we've been following is gone now!"

Also true, I had to admit.

"We should just go back and tell him we failed the mission."

I frowned, while I admitted that the situation looked hopeless the thought of returning after eight hours of tracking- empty handed- left a bad taste in my mouth.

If either of us bothered to look up through the forest canopy we would have seen the moon looming over us, shining light in a starry sky. It stabbed light through the canopy and into the ground, eerily illuminating the forest as crickets and frogs sang their respective music.

Sasuke grunted as if agreeing with himself on his last statement, "All this noise!" he grunted, "How are we supposed to hear that bunny while we're tracking it?"

I doubted his ears were as good as that, but kept that thought to myself as I ignored the swift drop in temperature.

A moment of silence, "Well? Aren't you going to say anything?"

I turned to him, raising an eyebrow and making Sasuke snort and wave me off, "Yeah, yeah- mute man can't talk and all that."

I frowned _"You've got quite the short fuse, if I may say that."_

Let it be known that oftentimes even the most extraordinary of children are completely tactless. After all, no matter how skilled or gifted a child is, chances are he or she is going to have a problem with a little something called patience.

Sasuke paused, narrowing his eyes at me before continuing walking, "How would like having to jump around for two hours straight, wearing twenty pounds in weights?"

"_I wouldn't mind,"_ I answered honestly,_ "in fact I'd consider it a break. Right now I'm wearing two-hundred and seventy pounds of weights."_

"I don't believe you." he challenged.

"_I don't care. In the end I'm stronger than you, our fight yesterday proved it."_

Sasuke snarled, whirling around and stopping our precession, "Then I'm just going to have to become stronger than you if I'm going to kill him, aren't I?" he demanded furiously.

"_I advise you to work on controlling your anger,"_ I coolly retorted, a little surprised,_ "its a weakness that someone could easily take advantage of."_

"I advise you to shut up and stay out business that doesn't concern you!" Sasuke shouted back.

"_It does concern me, we're apprenticed under the same master and I don't want you dragging me down."_

Shouting wordlessly, Sasuke whirled around and punched the bark of a tree. It vibrated, loose leaves falling from its branches. It wasn't what he really wanted to hit (my face), but his bloodied knuckles and the pain of the day caught up to him. He slumped to the ground and bowed his head, body tense and rigid as he shivered.

I watched him tremble, face betraying nothing. After a few minutes Sasuke looked up, glaring in a way that made me pause.

It was more than a dangerous glare, much more. Some gleam in Sasuke's eyes- something I couldn't identify then- set me on edge. Today it reminds me of a dog, one that had been kept confined, starved, beaten, and scarred, rage burning and seething behind its eyes as it lost more and more of itself to the pain its life ran on.

Then it vanished.

Sasuke averted his gaze, looking skyward and chuckling to himself, "If my mom was here she'd chew me out for being so disrespectful." he shook his head, then refocused on me, "Didn't your parents teach you anything?" he demanded.

I felt something in the back of my mind when Sasuke mentioned his mother, but ignored it, _"I never knew my parents, both died the day I was born."_

Sasuke looked away for a momentarily, scowling, then looked back. I thought I saw an emotion flicker across his eyes, regret.

Sasuke later told me it was more than regret. His life up until then had been dominated by his family. All his life he had family to look after him, family to take care of him. Because of his immense family- his immense clan -he never had go far to find some willing kids to play with. He always had someone willing to teach him, and he always had someone to talk to when things got rough. He _always _had family, until the person he had looked up to the most took it all away.

That person became the one he wanted to kill the most.

Sasuke couldn't imagine living without his family, even though he needed to face the reality that he was now alone. Unlike him I had grown up with just my caretaker, without family, and from what little Sasuke knew, without friends.

He couldn't imagine going through the same as me- he told me years later.

Blinking when a pebble bounced off his forehead, Sasuke narrowed his eyes at me, growling, "What?"

"_Your mother,"_ I signed,asking on gut instinct, _"was her name Mikoto?"_

"How did y-"

"_You look a lot like her."_

Neither of us said anything for a while, then I added, _"If it wasn't for your mother I wouldn't be here today; she saved my life."_

A grin tugged at Sasuke's mouth, "Sounds like something she'd do."

More silence, _"I'm sorry for what I said earlier."_ I painfully said.

Sasuke rubbed his eyes, the freezing night, his screaming muscles, and exhaustion finally catching up to him made him desperate for a good night's rest. Nonetheless he managed to inject a tone of amusement as he grunted, "How can a mute man say anything?"

I felt a ghost of smile tug on my face as Sasuke stood up, "Come on, it's late and I'm tired. Let's find your- _our_- master."

"Someone mention me?"

We both jumped, Sasuke glaring at the newly arrived Kakashi, "Are we done yet?"

Kakashi considered for a moment, fingering his chin, "Nope!" he smiled after a moment, "You didn't catch the bunny yet. You _need_ to catch the bunny."

Sasuke grunted, scowling and pointing at him, "The furry rat is on your shoulder!"

Indeed, it was; perched precariously on the veteran ninja's right shoulder, and munching on a chocolate bar at that.

Kakashi blinked innocently, staring at it as if he just noticed the small mammal, "Huh, I suppose you're right..."

"_Why is it eating chocolate?"_

"Because it asked for some, of course."

"Rabbits can't talk." Sasuke mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

A tiny square of chocolate impacted him on the cheek, bouncing off ineffectually. The bunny glared evilly at him, before going back to its meal.

"Our bunny friend doesn't appreciate being called a lesser species, Sasuke."

0o0o0o0o0o

_-H_

_They took the test we talked about today; both passed with flying colors._

_However, I noticed something disturbing with Two. I'll give you a full report later, and inform I. that his mental barrier may be weakening far faster than he predicted._

_-K_

_P.S. Why don't we have I. re-examine One's as well? After all, One went through worse than Two, arguably. Plus, there was the bleeding effect I. Mentioned._

**And before I get asked, there will be no Yaoi or Slash pairings. **

**Thanks to all those that reviewed so far. Your answers have been read and, among other things, the dream sequence has been rewritten a little. If you were to review this chapter, could you please answer one or more of the following questions.**

**1: Do you notice a difference in personality between past and present Naruto?**

**2: From what you've seen so far, could you give me some feedback on the fight scenes?**

**3: What scene stuck out to you the most and why?**

**4: Did anything in this chapter provoke a reaction out of you? Like a smile, laugh, or frown?**

**5: Did you see any errors of some sort?**

**6: What do you think of the five main characters so far? (Chronicler, Present Naruto, Past Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi)**

**If all goes well expect the next upload Friday of this week. **


	5. Years Go By

**Chapter Five; Years Go By**

I shove a clinical looking report to the Chronicler.

"_What does that say?"_

"...its a report of a routine medical check-up for one... Shinota Hinaku. What does this have anything to do with our interview?"

I take the proffered papers back from his hand, it trembling so slightly, _"It has a lot to do with our interview. Tell me, are you familiar with codes known as ciphers?" _

"They're algorithms military powers used around the Elemental Nations to encode and decode sensitive documents. Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

I nod, _"Here, let me translate it to you."_

_Kakashi Hatake,_

_I suppose you have noticed the gradual changes in Naruto Uzumaki's personality. The more time that passes, the quieter, more subdued, and less expressive he becomes. These are all symptoms of PTSD, as you are well aware, and may or may not grow worse as time goes by. _

_The sessions he attends with me may help a little, but it's slow going given Naruto's uncooperative behavior and less than satisfactory responses to my questions. Since the Initiation Test is fast approaching, and since you've rightly expressed that I- as an outside influence- would hinder the test, I have prescribed a medication that has been recently developed to help suppress any and all deterioration that would otherwise occur in my absence. This is not a decision I make lightly, as this medication is so strong, two full tablets could kill a grown man._

_Attached to this memo is the instructions of how many to take in how many hours, how to take them, and assorted dangers associated with the medication. _

_In addition, after the year-long test is done, I want to immediately examine the mental barrier I placed in the boy's mind, as I fear without my oversight the barrier may weaken or even shatter. As I mentioned before, Naruto is still far too young and inexperienced for the barrier to come down. Though it does suppress the worst memories, making his case of PTSD very difficult to treat as an side-affect, it keeps him in a state in which we can strengthen his mind to ready him for when it does come down. _

_I also fear, that if it breaks too early, the beast inside will awaken, and I don't mean what's been sealed away._

_-Inoichi Yamanaka_

"You have an entire cipher memorized?! How can you do that when most are composed of millions of words, letters, phrases, and conjugations?"

I smile,_"You could say I had a little help." _

"And your childhood... I never knew shinobi in training went through such horrible lives."

"_That's because not all of them do, Chronicler." _

A short silence.

"_You never did tell me your name, Chronicler."_

"I thought you would have read the report The Faceless did on me."

"_Did they do a report on you? I haven't received one."_

"Despite your retirement, Naruto Uzumaki, I know nothing significant happens in this country without you knowing about it. Your children may have taken over, but I bet they still come to the 'Bloody Leaf', the 'Butcher of Hanzou', or the 'Floating Shadow' for advice."

I almost snort, _"I still don't like my nicknames, too grand, too macho- I would have preferred something simpler. Regardless- yes, The Faceless sent a report about you, but I didn't read it. Nowadays I prefer to think of people as more than just another file on my desk, but as real people."_

Another short silence.

"It's Bokaru. My name is Bokaru. And... sir?"

"_Yes?"_

"A few of the reports have something about a bleeding effect, what is that?"

I tapped the table, a grim smile on my face, _"The bleeding effect means that snippets of memories and other parts that were sealed behind the mental block would sometimes slip out, then back in. Its... a curious sensation, walking down the street and remembering in vivid detail as a man pulled out your fingernails one by one; only for the memory to vanish and leave you wondering why you're rubbing the tips of your fingers."_

"That sounds..." he paused, searching for the right word, "morbid."

I nodded, _"Now imagine that in a young boy who only socializes with three people, who is convinced that anything he deems a distraction is a weakness. It embitters him, makes him think that he's so weak he easily forgets his train of thought. Add that to how already he withdraws from society and how with every day he looses a little more of his emotions, and you have a dangerous boy."_

Bokaru grimaces, "I can't comprehend having to live like that. It sounds horrible, how did you recover?"

A smile tugs at my lips, _"Quite a few things had to transpire. I'm not going to tell you just yet, because-"_

"-telling would ruin the story."

"_Now you're learning."_

0o0o0o0o0o

Hundreds of blades hung along the wall from floor to darkened ceiling. Some long, some short; some with a curved blade, some with a straight blade; some with an unpainted, steel blade, some dyed black or gray; some budget swords with blades of cheap iron, some made out of the finest grade chakra steel. I could have taken hours to describe the swords in the armory before me without making a dent in their number. Still, despite the thousands of differences between each and every sword, there remained a single constant.

Despite my limited knowledge when it came to forging, my eyes could tell all were made by the same hand. No matter what materials made up the sword- iron or steel, pine or oak- all were crafted with pinpoint precision, and the greatest of care.

Even the cheapest of blades here would more than match a nobleman's sword; such the skill of a ninja blacksmith.

I heard a calm quiet voice behind me, "See one that catches your eye?"

I half turned as I signed back, _"Not at the moment, Mr. Higarushi."_

The blacksmith nodded slightly, turning and taking long strides out the room, "Come back to the counter once you make your decision." The black door ghosted shut behind him, shrieking on poorly oiled hinges.

Having turned back to the bladed wall before Mr. Higarushi left I shuffled quietly to the right- where higher quality blades rested. As I walked, I passed swords made of progressively finer materials until I paused, taking one off the wall. I examined it; an ash handle, blade of blackened chakra steel- slightly curved, and over four feet long. I checked the balance, placing it on the palm of my hand... perfect.

I considered for a moment, lightly tilting my head to the side in thought then returning it to its place on the wall. As much as I liked it, Kakashi often said that the largest of weapons couldn't match those you can't hold; cunning, intelligence, and foresight.

'Sides, it would have been awkward running around with a sword just as tall as me.

I scanned the wall again, plucking off another that caught my eye. I examined everything, _'Dark ebony handle, blade painted a dark, un-reflective gray, made of a finer chakra steel my previous choice. I could use this.'_

I raised the blade to the light, noting how the edge didn't reflect it, revealing its razor edge. I checked the balance... perfect, and took note of its length- two feet; that would do.

Finally, I made a few practice swings- darting to and fro, going faster and faster as my blade gleamed dully in the overhead light. I paused shortly after, nodding to myself and snatching up the scabbard hanging on the wall. Fluidly sheathing the blade, I opened the door and strode into the storefront.

Sunlight streamed through the display window. In the outside sky, cloudy and dyed orange and pink, the sun slowly sank behind the tall and proud buildings dominating the marketplace. I came on a slow day judging by the trickle of humanity outside. Though there had been a handful of customers when I first entered the store now stood empty- save the blacksmith hunched behind the counter. I approached him, laying the sword across the wooden surface.

Mr. Higarushi hummed, as if agreeing with my choice as he rang up the purchase. He told me the price, about that as purchasing a small apartment. I paid without complaint, filling out a check and flashing my apprenticeship card for the second time since I walked into the store. It might clear out my bank account but an investment to make my chosen career a little less dangerous made it worthwhile. Besides, I didn't go out and spend money everyday, it had been sitting in the bank, gathering dust and interest, for years now.

The blacksmith eyed the check for a moment before dropping it in the register. A ring and a cheerful 'Come again soon' later, I walked out the store- idly wondering what my master would think tomorrow morning.

0o0o0o0o0o

Kakashi regarded me with a happy eye over his favorite book, "I glad you have initiative, here's a reward for being so motivated."

I looked at his hand and surprisingly quirked my eyebrow. He held a carbon copy of my new sword.

0o0o0o0o0o

_-H_

_The boys are progressing even further and faster than we thought they would, and, just like we thought, Naruto is improving at an even faster rate since he now has a rival to egg him on. They've taken a shine to almost everything; low level and high level ninjutsu, strategy and tactics- both simple and complex-, taijutsu, physical and mental conditioning, genjutsu, chakra control exercises, weapons- name it, and they have at least basic knowledge and skills in that given area. At age nine, I firmly believe they'd trump any starting genin from any village, perhaps even give an experienced one pause._

_Naruto, in addition to his swords and dagger, has taken to the bow like a kitten to milk. Our training regime has him firing rapidly and with deadly, instinctive accuracy. He possesses amazing skill with weapons, a born natural- his taijutsu isn't too far behind. To add to it he expresses a desire to learn genjutsu, though his chakra control leaves much to be desired. I've given him a multitude of higher level control exercises and, within a couple years, he should have enough control to start casting lower level genjutsu. _

_In addition, I had him channel some chakra into a strip of chakra paper; wind, just like we thought. I've started training him extensively in fire style ninjutsu in hopes he'll develop it as his second affinity, so then he'd have a repertoire of devastating combo attacks._

_While Naruto has an aptitude for weapons, Sasuke excels moreso in taijutsu. He's fast, agile, hits hard whenever he needs to, though lacks the vital element of unpredictability present in young Naruto- which allows him to win a few more of their spars. I've tried many times to find him a weapon that fits him, though all times I've found that he had no special aptitude for any. However, some part of me said yesterday that he might excel at the quarterstaff; so I'm going to try that next. _

_Like with Naruto I've checked his affinity, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that he had a very strong affinity with lightning jutsu. I've started teaching him water for the same reasons why I'm teaching Naruto fire. Both are developing at a fast rate, in fact, I think they're ready to begin the next phase of their training. _

_By your leave, sir?_

_-K_

* * *

_-K_

_Permission granted._

_-H_

* * *

_-H_

_Gave Sasuke a quarterstaff a couple hours ago, did not end well. Even now he's still limping, and his voice is still high and squeaky. _

_On the bright side, at least he now knows the value of wearing cups. _

_-K_

0o0o0o0o0o

For what felt like the first time in years I felt refreshed. My muscles didn't ache from constant exercise, my eyelids didn't flutter to stave off sleep, and my body didn't scream when I bent over. The bruises I accumulated during training had faded away, even those muscle cramps that had plagued me for the past few months had vanished.

How could I have felt so alive all of a sudden, when my daily training usually ended with me face down in the dirt you ask? Simple, I hadn't had any training sessions in the past two weeks. In fact, Kakashi even allowed (ordered) me to remove my training weights (then close to four-hundred pounds combined). When I asked him why, he simply replied, "Because you deserve some time off for your tenth birthday."

I hadn't believed him for one second.

Of course I still tried to train, on the first day working on the new chakra control exercises Kakashi taught me and starting at around seven in the morning. Kakashi showed up minutes later, slapped me upside the head, gave me a lecture about following the orders of my superiors and tacked on another week to my rest period.

Did I ever do anything besides training as a child, you ask?

I grew bored and without the faintest clue of what to do, I wandered the village- silently ghosting though the crowded streets. I eventually came back to the marketplace, where I smelled something I hadn't smelled since I was seven -Ichiraku ramen.

So I dropped in to say hi and eat a few bowls. Ayame and old man Ichiraku did a double take when they saw me, having thought I disappeared in my long absence. They greeted me warmly, to which I responded politely- if a little reserved- with a few hand signs. It surprised them even more, but they had enough tact to keep their curiosity in check and didn't ask any questions. A few bowls later I silently paid my bill and promised them I'd be back in a week or so.

Stepping through the curtain covering the restaurant's entrance I looked up to see the sun hanging right in the middle of the sky- still noon. I rubbed my eyes, returning home fresh out things to keep me busy. On the way, I briefly thought about pulling a few pranks out of old time's sake, but discarded the idea when I couldn't think of anything worthwhile to pull.

So when I got back I sat in my room- lounging on my bed. I combed through my mind to see what I could do that wouldn't anger my sensei even more. My eyes didn't idle though, scanning the room and eventually resting on a small, silver flute laying on the nightstand next to the head of my bed. Within easy arm's reach I plucked it up, eyes flowing over the simple surface.

Koyuka gave it to me years earlier when I complained about having nothing to do, Kakashi giving me a week off as punishment. I hadn't touched it more than a handful of times, playing even less notes on it. I twirled it in my hand, it spinning in my fingers like a top. Bored, I supposed I could give it a try again. I brought it to my lips, blowing a few practice notes and adjusting my fingers experimentally.

After that I didn't complain about having nothing to do. Besides training, that's all I ever did as a child.

Those two weeks passed quickly. I practiced, practiced, practiced playing that silver flute and did little else. Finally on my last rest day I found a note taped to my bedroom door. On it, written in thin characters, sat an address and post script saying to show up at seven o' clock next morning.

So I did.

0o0o0o0o0o

It didn't look much different than it's neighbors, other than an efficient air hovering around it. Two stories, a simple, oaken front door; if not for the plaque, set on the mailbox and emblazoned with an address, I would have walked by it without a second thought. Deciding to get it over with I walked up the front steps. Bunching up my hand, I reached out to knock on the front door only for it to swing inward with an ear-splitting squeak.

I winced involuntarily, eliciting a low chuckle from the dark-haired boy that opened it, "Yeah, it's pretty annoying, isn't it?"

"_This your house, Sasuke?"_ I signed, peering over my rival's shoulder.

"No," grunted Sasuke, "it's Kakashi's." he turned and walked deeper into the house, leaving the door open, "Come in, and don't bother taking off your shoes."

I stepped over the threshold, pulling the door shut behind me. Taking slow, deliberate steps down the poorly-lit hallway, I examined the walls. Skimming over the handful of pictures hanging from them, I followed Sasuke into the living room.

Spartan, simply furnished without much care for flashy presentation; modest practicality the core theme. A couch and a pair of simple armchairs surrounded a large, darkly stained table. Several lights hung from the ceiling, some lit the rest dark. A few cupboards made of oak stained golden hung against the wall, some weapons on display peeking through the polished glass windows.

Taking a seat on the couch, I asked him, _"If this is Kakashi's house why are you here? Did you get a note?"_

Sasuke nodded, leaning against the wall, "Yeah, I got here a few minutes ago. He let me in, saying he had something to do and would be back soon."

"_Have any idea why he wanted us here?"_

"Maybe he wanted to talk to us about something?" Sasuke deadpanned, checking his nails for dirt, "Maybe we're going on a mission? Maybe we're going on a training trip? Maybe he wanted us somewhere quiet so he can kill us without any fuss?"

"_Not us," _I retorted, leaning back and closing my eyes, _"just you." _

"Good to see you two are getting along." Kakashi mumbled, making us both jump.

Unbeknownst to us he'd been sitting on the ceiling, reading his favorite book.

"Now, if you both just calm down," he said happily, flipping a page, "I can tell you what we're going to do."

We waited, necks craned up to watch him nonchalantly read page after page.

"_We're waiting for you to tell us what we're going to do."_ I signed after a while, suspecting another test of some kind.

Kakashi 'hmmed', smiling down on us, "Sorry, did you say something?"

We didn't say anything, causing Kakashi to sigh after a moment, "You two are no fun. Follow me." he jumped down and walked out of the house.

We followed, the door swinging shut behind us.

"Lock it behind you, would you?"

I walked back in, turned the lock on the door, then closed it again.

"Better."

0o0o0o0o0o

We traveled quickly, sticking to the rooftops as we jumped and sprinted through the city. In a few minutes we left the inhabited parts of the village behind. A few minutes after that we reached a large expansive plain, separating the village woods from huge fenced off forest.

Something about it set me on edge.

The woods had been alive with the chatter and howls of various animals, to the point where I could hardly hear myself breathe. This forest made as much noise as the dead, not a whisper coming from beyond the fence. Where the woods before stood brightly illuminated, the forest brooded dark and shadowed- only sparse beams of light pierced the thick canopy far above.

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow, "Training trip?" he asked.

Kakashi smiled and shook his head, opening a gate and waving us in, "More like 'training vacation'."

"_I don't think many people go on a vacation to train."_ I retorted, filing through.

"Details, details."

Sasuke grunted, surveying the forest as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, "So, how long are we going to be here? A few days?"

Kakashi clanked shut the gate, making sure it locked correctly, "A year, and once it's over this place will be our new training ground."

"What?" Sasuke sputtered, spinning towards him, "A year?"

"Is there an echo in here?" Kakashi sighed, flipping out his book, "Yes, a year."

"But- but... but the academy break is over in a week!" Sasuke demanded, "What am I supposed to do when it ends?"

I distanced myself from Sasuke and my master, watching a dark, slim shadow moving closer to our position. If the others saw or felt it they gave no indication.

"Can you honestly tell me you learn more important stuff there rather than with me?" Kakashi asked, "More than half the crap there is history, science, and a bunch of useless math."

The shadow stopped suddenly, so still, I couldn't tell where it went. Slowly, making sure I didn't startle it into attacking, I rested a hand on my sword's hilt- sheathed on my back.

Sasuke opened his mouth to retort, shut it with a loud _-clack-_, then murmured something under his breath, shuffling his feet.

"I'm glad you have faith in me," Kakashi intoned, flipping through his book, "now, try not to die."

An ear-splitting screech came from somewhere in the forest, rising in pitch, growing louder and louder but impossible to pinpoint.

Sasuke whirled around, scanning the forest as he went into a combat stance, "What the hell is that?"

On and on it screamed, a tortured cadence invoking many primal fears buried within the mind.

I fluidly unsheathed my sword, setting myself in a basic stance Kakashi ingrained in me from the day I started training. My face showed no fear, no emotion, yet my muscles tensed in panic. I rapidly scanned the forest, trying to find the monster capable of making such a noise and wishing I could silence it.

As if psychic it suddenly cut off- followed by a long, tense quiet.

Adjusting the sweaty grip on my sword, I scanned the trees for anything out of place. The shadows made things difficult, offering hundreds of shrouds in which a skilled hunter could hide while my eyes still adjusted to the gloom. Nothing moved other than the leaves and branches when a rare wind blew. Once I thought I saw the slim shadow again but a moment of intense scrutiny revealed it an overly thick sapling.

A wind blew again, making the forest come alive with movement.

The roar came back again, this time easy to locate. I spun to face it, quelling the instinct to run that threatened to overwhelm my mind. The scream rose in pitch, rising louder and louder as it seemed to come closer. For a moment I thought I saw movement, a slight ruffle in an area of the tall grass that hid whatever may have screamed. Then a strong wind blew again, easily hiding any beast's advance by rocking the trees, grass, and branches to and fro.

But it did nothing to stop the screaming, a noise playing on our primal instincts for survival, that grew louder and louder as it closed in on us.

Then it struck-

"Naruto, move!"

-but it didn't come from the direction I faced.

The only noise that heralded its approach, the only clue that a wild beast set its sights on me, was the near gentle snap of a breaking twig. Sasuke crashed into me and set us tumbling. Assaulting our ears with a low thrum, a dark, slim figure charged past, swiping at us with something akin to a razor.

Coming to my feet with grit teeth, my eyes flicked over the flood of blood from an ugly gash in my arm. Sasuke shot to his feet, brandishing a kunai as I quickly appraised what could only be described as a giant praying mantis.

Huge alien eyes, bulbous and round, bored into my own. If they showed any emotion I couldn't tell in the blackened, foreign orbs. Set below them snapped a pair of large, vicious mandibles, pointed and sharpened in a way that could only be for tearing flesh and crushing bone. A thin neck-like structure ran down a long way from it's small, triangular head, eventually widening out into a large thorax covered in thick, plate-like chitin. A small structure of it tented it's back, a bit of translucent gray membrane peeking out from its confines.

Taller than a man it turned to us, agilely dancing on thick stilted legs. Raising its front upraised arms, carved into two cruel blades longer than I was tall, it screamed once more and charged.

Heart quickening and body already glistening with fevered sweat- I swiftly ducked out of the way of a swing aimed for my head as Sasuke jumped to the side. I hopped over a sweeping cut going for my legs and retaliated with a double handed thrust at the creature's face. Its neck suddenly swerved out of my blade's way before snaking out and biting at my chest with its vicious mandibles. I jumped out of the way, kicking off its chest and dropping a small ball on the ground. I shielded my eyes with my wounded arm and prompted Sasuke to do the same.

The creature screamed again just as the ball detonated, illuminating the forest with a quick flash and blinding its sensitive eyes. Its shriek of rage swiftly colored with pain and fear as it flailed its bladed arms, cutting into tree trunks and slicing through the ground. I silently backed away from the beast and exchanged glances with Sasuke and my master, who had sat back and observed everything.

Kakashi nodded in the direction which led deeper into the forest, keeping silent in case the beast heard him. I made a gesture with my free hand, a universal sign of understanding, before quietly going in the indicated direction.

We didn't get far.

Whether because of a slight noise on my part, the creature relying on it's more acute senses, or merely chance it chose that moment to run. Blindly crashing straight into me, it sent me sprawling breathlessly to the ground, cracking my shoulder on a rock half buried in the dirt.

It stopped short and swerved back around, cutting and slashing madly in the direction I fell, aiming low. Shrieking as its eyes slowly regained focus its attacks grew more and more accurate as it tried to skewer me as I squirmed around under its body.

After the fight, I would think of how after years of training I was still pathetic.

However I hadn't lost my grip on my sword when I fell. In fact, while I looked in a bad spot underneath the creature, I realized a year later that I actually had a better position. In it's savage haze it continued to awkwardly stab at me with it's bladed forearms, when they were actually made for swift, powerful swings. The tips didn't even taper out into a point, so, rather than sinking deep into the soft ground before withdrawing- they thudded against it. Flinging buckets of soil all over the place, chunks of grassy dirt stuck to its natural weapons. Soon the ground looked like a tornado blew through.

At the time, my tactical advantage didn't even intrude on my foremost thoughts.

I twisted out of the way just as the creature stabbed at my head, flinging dirt into my eyes and pelting me with sharp pebbles. It reared up, shrieking, as it put all it's weight on it's two hind legs.

I spun around on the ground, rocks digging into my back, found purchase on a nearby root protruding from the dirt, and kicked off. Skidding across the ground, my back tearing up and sword scabbard ripping away as rocks and sticks clawed into cloth and skin. I snaked out with my blade and, through blind luck, sank it deep into the soft under flesh peeking out of the beast's leg.

It screamed, a horrible noise that rang through my ears as the leg reflexively snapped shut on my blade and wrenched it away. Falling back onto all legs, it stumbled to and fro as it struggled to maintain it's balance through the pain permeating its primal mind. A loud snap cracked out as it's wounded limb gave way under pressure and broke off. It buckled, the other legs trembling under the unexpected shift in weight, before re-balancing itself and releasing a shrill shriek from its mandibles.

Stumbling awkwardly, it turned toward me as I gingerly stood back up, cautiously and slowly advancing as the agony of losing its leg swiftly faded. Gritting my teeth, I defiantly produced my tanto from the folds of my clothing, setting in a tight stance. The creature came closer and closer, blood loss making my head swim and hearing dull. So intent on its prey the Marabau didn't notice the kunai until it buried deep into its eye.

Shrieking an appalling noise that nearly made my ears bleed it blindly flailed around. As abruptly as it started, it stopped, frozen in it's tracks as it slowly turned it's one working eye back on me hunched before it. Screeching lowly it slowly advanced, ignoring all other sights. Raising its bladed forearms, it suddenly snapped its head to the side and charged after something only it could see.

It shrilled a war cry as it barreled through the trees. It didn't slow, didn't stop. The beast ran deeper and deeper into the forest, its shrieks swiftly fading away.

"You're lucky Marabau are so susceptible to genjutsu." Kakashi droned, walking up to me.

I snapped my head to the side, my small body stumbling as my back pulsed in agony.

My master caught me, laying me down on my front, "Careful, too much movement and you'll aggravate your wounds. Nice throw by the way, Sasuke, got him right in the eye."

Said boy fell from the trees, landing next to us with his hair streaming behind him, "Is he okay?" he demanded.

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully, examining the wounds on my back. My injuries pulsed again, making me wince a little as adrenaline quickly faded from my body.

"He'll be fine," I heard Kakashi say, "just get his sword and sheath while I heal him up."

Without another word he went to work. For a few moments I didn't sense anything but the pain of my wounds, the wetness of blood, and the coppery aroma of blood. Then a warmth enveloped my arm, flesh and muscle melting together as the gash on my arm closed. Finished with that Kakashi repeated the process on my back injury, taking more time as he had to dig out the rocks and twigs clogging my wounds.

"You know, brat, you're lucky you're still alive," Kakashi cheerfully declared, healing one part of my wound, "Marabau have been known to take down experienced chunin in some cases, though this one looked to be just two years old. You're especially lucky considering you didn't put much thought into any of your actions. In fact..." he mused, pausing before getting back to work, "if Sasuke or I hadn't been here, you'd have likely have been killed."

He cracked his neck, standing back up and helping me to my feet, "Tell me, why do you think you fought it like a god-damned, suicidal moron?"

I didn't respond, wordlessly taking my sheathed sword from Sasuke when he offered it.

Kakashi let the silence stretch for a moment, the Marabau's faded screams ringing in my ears, "It's because," he finally uttered, "you're inexperienced, you're not used to making decisions in a life or death situation. You froze up, just like Sasuke did when he first saw the Marabau." said boy hung his head.

"Don't even begin to blame yourself." Kakashi grunted, making eye contact with us both, "Even with the best training and the best teachers it's a rare thing indeed to find a rookie that doesn't freeze up the first time they experience the real thing. Many even run- which neither of you did. Nothing can prepare you for your first real battle, which is why we're here. We're spending a year in this lovely place so you both get used to things trying to kill you."

"_That definitely sounds like fun."_ I deadpanned, if any sign language could deadpan.

My master nodded, ignoring my sarcasm, "It does, doesn't it? Now, catch!"

Kakashi tossed a small bag which Sasuke caught easily. Unfortunately, it's combined weight (a lot) and force (even more) sent him sprawling to the ground, breath knocked from his lungs.

"Those are your new weights, which you're going to wear all day, every day, until you adjust to them;" he happily commented, tossing a similar bag at me- which I step sided, "at which point, you'll get even heavier weights. Wash, rinse, and repeat until the end of this training vacation, if neither of you die before then."

I imagine Sasuke would have said something he considered witty and clever at that point. Unfortunately he had a bit of trouble throwing his weights off his chest- so he settled for groaning.

"Welcome to the Forest of Death!"

**Please review, and tell me how well you think everything is shaping up (or not, if that's what you think).**

**-Tell me what you think of the fight scene.  
-Tell me how you think the story so far is.**


	6. Of Screwing With the Wildlife

**Chapter Six: Of Screwing With the Wildlife**

_Several questions have been raised as to the subjects' training. The reasons are twofold:_

_Firstly, people have asked why Subject B is still going through the academy and learning all the history and theoretical knowledge that comes with it. The answer here is simple, this is traditionally the way Order training begins, which has produced many skilled and dangerous ninja. _

_Secondly, people have asked why we have kept Subject A away from the academy and haven't taught him anything theoretical. This is because Subject A's training is an experimental program. The theory is if we teach him the importance of learning and adapting while keeping him away from the conventional knowledge of the ninja world we'll have a ninja that grows to be immensely adaptable without the risk of ruining his planning processes. The problem with teaching all conventional tactics at a young age is that it risks stunting their adaptability as they grow older, one reason why promising members stop advancing. They come to rely on the same tactics, and rarely risk trying out something new or unproven because they think that what they have will always work. _

_I stress that this is an experimental program only. If this program is proven to work and Subject A is objectively more dangerous than Subject B, then we'll switch then. If not, then we may have an average or below average recruit- in which case he'll not be suitable for the order. _

_People have expressed their concern with this and my answer is thus: I don't care whatever sort of 'Special Attributes' Subject A contains._

_-One_

"That sounds ominous." Bokaru observed, "What is this 'order' mentioned here?"

"_Telling that would ruin the surprise."_

"Why do you have to surprise me? I'm writing your biography, so I'll eventually know everything about you."

"_I just feel that you should find everything out at the same pace those that will read this have to."_

Bokaru snorts a laugh, "You're really getting into this aren't you, sir?"

I shrug, _"I'm just that bored of retirement."_

0o0o0o0o0o

"_You never told us much about that..."_ I paused, searching for the right word,_ "thing... that attacked us."_

It had been about a week since our first day in the forest.

Kakashi made a hand sign without looking away from his book, "They're called Marabau, and that was the sign for it."

I nodded, eyes half lidded as I nearly dozed off before shaking myself awake, _"Right, Marabau, tell us about them."_

All three of us lounged high up in the forest canopy, away from most of the larger predators. The forest didn't make any noise I sensed, completely silent save for our conversation.

Sasuke's uneasy eyes darted between our master, me, and the forest floor below before circling back again. The past few days haven't been kind, trying to sleep in trees, tossing around under our camouflaged blankets as we listened to the hellish choir singing every night. While Sasuke and I weren't strangers to running on little sleep a whole week without getting a wink still took its toll. Bags hung under Sasuke's eyes as he stifled a yawn, nearly falling off the branch he perched on.

I nearly dozed off again, jerking myself awake and scanning the forest for the umpteenth time. Kakashi, meanwhile, had the face of a man whom never missed a minute of sleep.

I uneasily rubbed the pommel of my sword- strapped to my back just like before- feeling as if an unseen entity watched and waited for our guard to lower. As my master answered I sorely wished I bought a decent bow with what little money I had before that 'vacation'. I didn't even have my training bow, since Kakashi claimed it was Konoha property.

"Marabau have a striking resemblance to praying mantises." Kakashi intoned, absently flipping a page, "They're extremely territorial but choose their targets carefully. They only attack anything they deem a threat, but weak enough for them to defeat, that enters their grounds. Not only that but they constantly wage wars with each other in an attempt to expand their territory. Undoubtedly after our little skirmish with that one a few days ago one, or even all, of the nearby Marabau took advantage of it's weakened state and snatched some of its territory. They keep track of their borders, and intruders, by spraying pheromones all over the place. Using their keen sense of smell they can easily tell when they're about to enter another's territory."

Kakashi paused, ears perking as he heard a familiar shriek off in the distance, "They eat meat mostly, hunting large game with their large sword-like fore-arms. They can project their shrieking from multiple directions at once, even concentrating it in one direction, to distract and disorient their prey as they make their move. Most are typically skilled- one can say- in unseen and silent movement, skills they need to hunt. Their chitin is one of the hardest known natural, non-mineral, substances in the world. They have special glands within it to allow for a slight immediate change in color. More-so, it deepens as time goes by, making them versatile hunters fit for many environments. Be glad Marabau travel solo most of the time."

He paused once more, "Females of the species are rare, to the point where I'm shocked they haven't died out yet. Where they lack in numbers they make up in ferocity, cunning, strength, and size. You better hope you never run into one..." Kakashi cocked his head to the side, eye closed in thought, before leaning back against the tree and folding his arms, "That's about it, have I yet satisfied your curiosity?"

I nodded sleepily, eyes sliding shut as I nearly drifted off to the land of dreams.

I jumped when Kakashi continued, shouting the first word, "Good! Now that you've had all your questions answered it's time for a training mission!"

Sasuke grunted angrily while I silently made a hand gesture Kakashi hadn't taught me. Our "missions" usually consisted of Kakashi traipsing around the forest making as much noise as possible to attract every single man eating animal or plant in the vicinity_. _He would then ignore them completely, leaving us with the task of fighting offevery single thing that came our way as he continued to attract more and more bloodthirsty beings.

Success depended on a point based system, but if he had to do anything to defend himself we automatically failed. When that happened we got two minutes to clear out as many of the beasts as we could, then we restarted. Over the course of a five hour mission we failed over one hundred times, each failure resulting in five more minutes to exercise with increased weight. Needless to say if not for dietary supplements and special chakra exercises, we would have left that forest as walls of muscle.

We would discover the key to easy escort missions some months later; Ninja Duct Tape.

"Aren't the two of you so mature?" Kakashi intoned, putting away his book, "Well, guess what? I'm not helping you two this time around."

Sasuke sighed, mumbling something under his breath. Slowly rubbing his gritty eyes, he again yawned and muttered, "You mean you help us sometimes?"

He blinked, or winked, at us, "Of course I do. Anyway, you remember those giant tigers you saw prowling around a few times?" we both nodded, prompting him to drawl lazily, "Well, I've always wanted a little cub of my own to cuddle and play with and tame and sic on those who annoy me; so I want the two of you to bring me one- alive- and without injuring or killing anything in the process."

Sasuke rubbed the bridge of his nose, an oddly adult gesture on a ten year old boy. His muscles tensed just perceptively, anger restrained, "Sensei, you told us yourself that they're the size of full grow dogs with the weight to match. How are we supposed to carry one back when we're each strapped with half a ton of weights?"

Kakashi paused, thoughtfully rubbing his masked chin, "Well...if you want, we could have another escort mi-"

All lethargy and fatigue forgotten, we shot through through the tree tops in two powerful leaps- eyes scanning the forest floor below in search of any sign of a potential targets. The wall of trees quickly screened us from view as we jumped further and further away, silent as the grave-save for the slight displacement of air.

0o0o0o0o0o

The spider rested atop a small branch, spreading all eight of its long legs as far as it could reach. Six eyes blinked, taking in everything with little else movement. Hairs as black as its exoskeleton sprouted all over its body, twitching at every slight breeze.

Within shadows a distance away we hid, watching this new dinner plate sized creature. We hadn't seen such a thing before, running into more jumping leaches than anything else (tricky things to hit, area of effect attacks best choice).

Slowly, making no noise or abrupt movements, Sasuke flicked a kunai and speared the hairy thing, pinning it to the tree. He shivered noticeably but kept his ever present scowl fixed on his face before hopping away.

I quickly caught up to him, _"Aren't you going to retrieve your kunai?"_

Sasuke wordlessly shook his head, signing back for the sake of maintaining stealth, _"I have plenty of other ones."_

We held each others gaze for a moment then I gestured towards the forest floor, _"Looks like we found a tiger in the middle of dragging home its lunch. I don't see a probable lair nor any other tigers around. We're going to need to follow it to wherever its based if we want a chance of capturing any cubs."_

Far below a huge tiger stripped in black and orange busied itself by pulling a deer of matching size across the forest floor using only its mouth. After a week in the forest Sasuke and I still found new plants and animals ready to attack us, so the giant deer didn't come as a surprise.

Sasuke shook his head, rubbing his eyes, _"This forest is weird."_ he signed.

We traveled for some time, crossing a commendable distance given the weight strapped to us. Jumping from branch to branch (I still couldn't understand how they held us), dodging through the trees, we came to a gargantuan circular mound with a small passage dug into its side. I quickly sized it up.

Sneaking up on it could pose a problem. The mound stood in a clearing, far away from any trees but still under the canopy, a few short bushes here and there but nothing substantial. The best avenue of attack would be to come from the rear, out of sight of the cave opening. Yet if you got to the cave's mouth without getting seen you'd face the problem of getting in there, grabbing a cub, and running out before the big one gets its jaws on you. Provided of course it held a tiger cub in the first place.

Silently and without making a move, we watched the tiger pull the deer carcass into the cave.

We locked gazes.

"_Options?" _Sasuke asked, already knowing.

"_We wait."_ I replied.

And we waited, the leaf covered branches tickling our faces whenever a breeze frittered about.

And we waited, cautiously stretching every so often to keep our aching muscles from seizing up.

And we waited, using all our willpower to suppress earth-shaking yawns.

Our patience eventually paid off.

At the cave's mouth sat two gargantuan tigers. One, larger than the other, had a jagged scar over one side of its face while the other had no disfigurements. They both yawned sleepily, showing how filling they found their meal. I shifted my gaze, noticing half a dozen dog-sized cubs running about. I quieted a yawn, rubbing my eyes as my mind ran through possible scenarios.

I signed to Sasuke, _"Any ideas on how to get one without dying?"_

Sasuke thought for a moment, _"We could make a distraction to lure the big ones away, grab a cub, and then run."_

I slowly shook my head, _"Too many possibilities with that plan. One could leave, neither of them could leave, they could take their cubs back into the cave... no matter what, they'll know something's out of place and will be on guard. Besides, remember what Master said, 'leave a minimum footprint unless psychological warfare is your goal'. I don't think it would be a good idea to make a lot of noise."_

Sasuke nodded to himself, _"Makes sense."_

"_We might be able to simply stun them with a flashbang, jump down there, snatch one up, then make a run for it." _I suggested, silently stretching to ready myself for action, _"They may not have enough time to react, so we could put some distance between us and them before they recover."_

"_Maybe,"_ Sasuke conceded, examining the cubs then the adults in turn, _"but we don't know how dangerous a blinded cub is. Not to mention we have no idea how fast the adults can run. We might barely make it or they may catch up to us. Besides,"_ he added almost as an afterthought, _"we're supposed to leave a 'minimum footprint'."_

We sat silently for a few moments, separate ideas forming in separate skulls.

Slowly, as to make no sudden movement, we looked at each other, both signing, _"I have an idea."_

We waited for the other to begin.

"_You first."_ I suggested.

0o0o0o0o0o

A cub hopped around near the trunk of a towering tree. Whenever it thought it saw movement it pounced with both front paws like an excited kitten hunting a low buzzing fly. Every few feet it paused and looked back at its parents- who lay dozing at the mouth of the cave, yawning with growing frequency and intensity. It noticed that they'd soon call them all back in so it decided to have as much fun as it could before then.

Just as it went to pounce again the slightest of noises caught its attention. It snapped its head around, looking this way and that until it caught sight of a rustling bush just a few feet off to its side. Moving very slowly it turned to face the movement. Pausing to look over at its parents one last time, it pounced.

The bushes rustled a bit, a frightened and angry yowl cutting off before it could reach its peak. The adults leaped up, drowsiness rapidly fading as one bounded over to the noise and the other rounded up the remaining cubs. The bushes rustled a bit more, eliciting a snarl from the tiger and a swipe of its paw.

A gray blur burst from the bush, jumping over the giant beast and dropping a small ball in front of its eyes. It hit the ground, rolling to keep balance, then shot up and streaked through the forest as the ball burst in a flash of blinding light. The tiger roared in pain and fury, shaking its head as the blur ran as fast as it could and heading for a section filled with brush, low hanging branches, and thick saplings.

With one last shudder the tiger gave chase.

I chanced a glance over my shoulder, seeing the tiger gaining ground despite the brush and disorientation from the flash bomb. I snapped my head back in time to duck under a branch that would have poked out my eye. All too soon the brush thinned out, dodging through the trunks of the gargantuan Konoha redwoods in a vain attempt to keep something between myself and the tiger.

It went on like that for a few seconds until I leaped into the air. Landing vertically on the face of the nearest tree I jumped off that, then stopped on the lowest branches in a tree a short distance away. I rubbed my eyes with my free hand, suppressing a yawn and forcing myself to watch my pursuer. The tiger stopped at the tree trunk, glaring at me with an odd look on its face. Slowly, a deep growl rumbling in its chest, it stalked away.

I tensely watched it go, a frown playing with my mouth as surprise and suspicion edged into my mind. Adjusting the still-as-ice tiger in my arms I jumped higher into the canopy as adrenaline faded from my system. My throbbing and aching muscles still managed to make me stumble much more than occasionally. I paused everyone once in a while, as much to catch my breath as to strain my ears in search of any possible pursuers.

During what felt like my twentieth break I paused a moment longer, exhaustion nearly overcoming me as I rested on the branch, chest heaving as I breathed in and out. My eyes darted around, flicking this way and that as I scratched at an itch on his neck with my empty hand. I took one last calming breath before standing back up, readying myself to jump again.

On instinct I ducked away as a feathery light, almost indiscernible breeze fluttered within inches of my neck, cleaving deep furrows into the tree as it blew over the trunk. A roar followed, furious and earsplitting, while an enormous shape crashed into me. We fell to the rocky ground far below, hitting it at an odd angle and skidding a distance before coming to a stop. Thrills of pain shot through my body in an area just below the back of my neck -followed by empty numbness as something snapped and cracked like a dry twig.

It hurt, hurt enough to make most children my age black out but only made my vision falter for a moment.

The shape on top pressed so hard against my chest I couldn't breathe or move. Its golden-black eyes stared into mine before flicking over a short distance away. A deep rumble came from its chest as the scarred tiger stepped off my chest and lumbered over to the motionless cub. Even free of the tiger's weight I couldn't get my body to obey me; not to suck in some sweet air, not to jump to my feet and flee while adrenaline fueled me.

_'Completely helpless once again.'_ I observed, oddly content, _'An upper thoracic vertebrate must have shattered. I'll likely asphyxiate within a few minutes.'_

The thought hovered for a moment before I felt a twinge of energy as my bushin dispelled, a fierce roar bellowing through the underbrush.

_'Finally found out it was a clone? About time.'_

I bounced, the ground under me shaking as the tiger thundered around and roared into the forest. A minute passed as such, the ground gradually stilling as the tiger ran off in search of its cub.

I laid on the ground, completely motionless as blackness seeped from the corners of my vision. Unable to breathe or channel chakra I closed my eyes and waited for the inevitable to occur.

Minutes passed in which I blacked out from lack of oxygen before my dying body vanished in a puff of smoke.

0o0o0o0o0o

"Male," Kakashi droned, turning the paralyzed tiger cub over in his arms and examining it with a critical eye, "four, maybe five months old considering how thick its fur is."

He paused, pulling open its mouth and staring at its teeth, "Hmmmm, hasn't been getting the proper amount of milk from its mother... Sasuke, you're writing all this down, right?" Kakashi asked, giving him a look.

Said boy grunted, flipping through a thick stack of papers and scribbling down everything our master uttered. "Don't they have people whose jobs are to do this?" he mumbled irritably, flipping a page to continue writing, "I still need to write that essay on the Second Shinobi War that messenger brought earlier."

"Of course they do," Kakashi retorted cheerfully, "I just volunteered our services to save the village a bit of money. Now, continuing on-"

I didn't hear the rest of what he said, mind going into overdrive as my head felt light, hearing my last heartbeats drumming in my ears before dying of asphyxiation.

"-and lastly," Kakashi finished, twisting his neck to crack it, "the population of Hirukas need culling so they stop encroaching on Kyritu tiger territory."

His eyes flicked over to me, recognizing the empty eyed stare, "So, he drawled, snapping me out of my daze, "now you know what it feels like to die."

I nodded, features blank.

"Then I'll ask again; are you ready to die?" he demanded, making Sasuke to shoot his head up.

I considered for a moment, then nodded hesitantly as my heartbeat still calmed.

My master hummed but kept his thought to himself. "Well," Kakashi grunted, walking over to Sasuke and putting the cub in his waiting arms, "now that this is settled, take-"

A loud, furious roar interrupted him before he could finish, echoing from a short distance away.

All heads turned towards the noise.

"...At least you don't need to walk far to return the cub." he muttered, before pushing Sasuke to urge him on, "Now get to it, since Naruto already died once its your turn."

Sasuke didn't move, eyes resting on the bag of Academy homework laying against a nearby tree.

"The sooner you return the cub," Kakashi explained loudly, easily reading his thoughts, "the sooner you can get back to your boring dusty books, Sasuke."

For some reason, Sasuke didn't leave with much enthusiasm. We heard the ensuing two hour chase from miles away.

0o0o0o0o0o

"What _is _this?" Sasuke demanded, raising it up to eye level.

Jingle-jingle.

"It's a pair of shoes," replied Kakashi, tossing me a similar pair, "a pink pair of shoes to help you unleash your feminine side, Sasuke."

Sasuke scowled, face colored pink in either embarrassment or frustration.

Jingle-jingle.

"_Then why,"_ I asked, fingering my pair of shoes, _"are they strapped with a bunch of bells?"_

"Then why," Sasuke echoed, keeping his voice even, "do you have bells strapped to them?"

Jingle-jingle.

"Advanced stealth training." Kakashi commented, leaning against the trunk of a tree and continuing reading.

"... how will wearing this help?" Sasuke asked, jingling his pair of pink shoes for emphasis.

"If you wear them and start sneaking around the bells _will_ make noise if you make even the slightest disturbance." our master responded, taking out an apple and examining it.

Before we blinked it vanished from sight.

He paused, swallowing, then continued, "Once you master fast, unseen and unheard movement while wearing them you'll be nigh undetectable."

I looked at him blankly, put on my blue shoes, then walked very slowly in a circle.

Jingle-jingle jingle-jingle jingle-jingle jingle-jingle jingle-jingle.

I stopped abruptly (jingle-jingle), looking back at my reclining master and raising a questioning eyebrow, _"And just how will walking around in this deathtrap of a forest, wearing bells on our feet, help us move quieter?"_

Kakashi clucked and cracked his neck, "Making training hell- risking life, limb, sanity, and blood- will make war and battle a mere chore."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, droning, "Yay, I always wanted to put a big target on myself."

"_You kinda are already since you're walking around, wearing a shirt that has the Uchiha symbol on the back." _I pointed out, taking slower practice (jingle-jingle) steps, _"Once you officially become a ninja you're either going to scare people away with it, or you're gonna make someone focus entirely on you because they want to become famous for killing an Uchiha."_

Sasuke pretended he didn't catch that.

0o0o0o0o0o

"Tell me what you see." Kakashi requested idly a few weeks later, picking at his fingernails with a kunai.

Sasuke and I, both bent double over the ground, scanned all the twigs, leaves, dirt, and rocks with a keen eye on the forest floor. Neither of us noticed anything of importance, prompting me to sign, _"Dirt, lots and lots of dirt."_

"...And?"

We both looked again. "Twigs and leaves?" offered Sasuke.

"I mean, besides the obvious." Our master commented, "What can you find that stands out?"

Again we looked, much more thoroughly, taking greater time on every inch of ground covered- we even looked at a few tree trunks. Still we didn't find anything, other than a teeny tiny beetle hiding under a leaf that lunged at my face when I got too close; all the while our shoes sung a merry tune.

Oddly enough, instead of attracting a legion of hungry man eating beasts like we thought they would our belled shoes actually kept them away. Considering we hadn't seen anything in the past few days, the noise must have drove them as mad as it drove us.

Kakashi's favorite training style consisted of putting us in a situation in which we had absolutely no experience, in order for us to feel completely stupid as we fumbled attempts to correctly answer his questions. He thought that once we got embarrassed enough, being the perfectionists that we were, would then listen with rapt attention as he lectured about whatever we would learn so we wouldn't feel stupid anymore.

It gave us great motivation and tried our patience at the same time.

Sasuke gestured at a large, jagged stump he just noticed, "There."

Kakashi nodded slightly, "What makes it stand out?" he asked.

"The wood on the inside is green and wet, that means it broke recently."

"Anything else?"

Sasuke thought for a moment, then shook his head.

Kakashi sighed, walking over to the stump and kneeling next to it. "Take a close look..." he ordered, looking over at Sasuke, "Do you see it?"

"No," grunted Sasuke, getting closer, "I don't."

Kakashi didn't respond at first. Instead, he snaked out a pair of thin fingers and plucked something from the trunk. Holding it up to show us, we saw what he had us combing that entire section of the forest for.

A thin, nigh invisible, strand of hair.

"In what way might finding this," he asked, "help you?"

We both responded instantly.

"_Because..." _I started, mentally kicking myself, _"that hair shows that something else has been in the area."_

"And that means that you could follow the direction that something went." Sasuke added, looking around the forest.

"Correct," Kakashi answered, letting the hair drift to the ground, "but is the only sign something passed this way bits of hair and fur stuck to trees and a broken stump?"

I shook my head, _"I now see some disturbed leaves."_

"That's a start." he noted, "Now, we're going to spend today learning advanced tracking techniques. As you saw earlier, not all creatures are as easy to track as that fluffy bunny you chased after a while back. Lets find the creature before the end of the day, I want to see if it tastes good."

0o0o0o0o0o

"_You ready?" _Kakashi silently queried, eyes not leaving the target.

I nodded, my long shaggy hair falling in front of my eyes and obscuring my vision before I tucked it all out of the way. I went through a quick series of handseals, watching my target intently. Lazing in the shade a monstrous version of a grizzly bear dozed away, a few bleached bones the only remnants of a recent meal laying a short distance away. It shifted its weight slightly, making its curly brown fur ruffle together just as the genjutsu hit it.

It twitched a bit but otherwise didn't react.

Kakashi nodded, eying me, _"Decent I suppose. A properly cast genjutsu wouldn't get any reaction from the target, we'll work on it some more later. Now go out there and check to see if you actually cast one strong enough to last more than a few moments this time."_

"_Why can't you do this?"_ I asked, _"The last time I almost had my head taken off."_

"_I think I misread you, did you just say you want your weights tripled?"_ Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow.

I closed my eyes for a moment then slowly climbed out the bush, half grateful that my master allowed me to remove my bell shoes before this. I cautiously tiptoed up to the monster's side, noticing the bear would probably take up half the ground floor of my house back in Konoha- and the floor above it.

"Just do it already!" Kakashi cheerfully shouted behind me, making me flinch, "My cute student!"

I slowly backed away as the bear yawned and stretched, exposing large, jagged teeth, before laying still again, _"I don't think it's in a genjutsu anymore."_

"You think?" Kakashi asked idly, "Just because 'you think' doesn't mean it is. Check it now, or else I'm tripling your weights."

I sighed silently, before shuffling back up and jabbing it in the side with a very big, very pointy stick Kakashi sharpened just for this occasion.

The house-sized bear twitched an ear, one as big as three of my heads, but otherwise didn't react.

Okay, that didn't mean anything. The genjutsu made me and my master disappear from the world, nothing else. Anything we did to the bear or any noises we made didn't occur, as far as the beast was concerned. It could have been a reflex, the fly buzzing around its head certainly annoyed me- especially since it could cover my whole face.

So long as it didn't open its eyes and see us we didn't need to worry.

"Check again, and poke it harder this time!"

I nodded, obeying instantly.

No response.

"Again!"

I did it again and still didn't get any movement.

"You see, boy?" Kakashi chirped, popping up next to me, "Nothing to worry about." he added, slapping its side, "Completely safe this time. You drew him in and held him for a good period of time, considering your piss poor chakra control."

I nodded slightly, even that little motion upsetting my hair and making it tumble down into my face again. I fixed it again with a silent grunt of irritation, _"Yeah, cool."_ I signed without much enthusiasm, _"Can't we just go into town for a little bit, find a barber, and let me get this mop cut off? Its annoying."_

"Nope."

"_What? Why not?" _I demanded,mouth twitching,_"It falls in front of my eyes if I so much as tilt my head and it keeps getting caught on branches, thorns, bushes, and everything else in this damn forest. Do you know how annoying that is? And where do you keep getting all those apples?"_ I suddenly asked, pointing a finger at the offending fruit Kakashi pulled out of nowhere.

Off in the forest, something sounding like -but probably not- a chipmunk laughed.

"The 'why' is simple," Kakashi declared idly, snapping out his book, "this is a training _vacation._ When you're on a vacation going back home for even a second automatically makes it a non-vacation. So we're not going back to Konoha, get used to it. Secondly, I know how annoying long hair can be. And finally," he held up the apple in his other hand, "I keep getting these apples from the same place everyone else does, from trees."

"_How do you keep your hair the way it is?" _I asked, eyes passing over my master's spiky cut, silver hair, _"We've been in this forest for months now, but it doesn't look like it grew at all."_

Having finished his apple Kakashi tossed the core off somewhere in the brush and retrieved a kunai from his pouch, "I cut my hair myself using this." he commented casually, flourishing the weapon for emphasis, "You can probably use your tanto instead. It's pretty simple once you get the hang of it, just try not to cut your throat."

I regarded him for a moment then flicked my wrist to make my blade appear in my gloved hand. I grabbed a lock of hair and pulled it down in front of my eye, noticing a tiny twig stuck in it. Adjusting my grip on the blade I cut it, letting the severed hair drift to the ground as I seized another handful.

"Naruto," my master interrupted, "before you continue, I'm going to ask you a simple question. What are you going to do with your hair once you're done? After all, we can't leave such an obvious tell showing anything passing by we were here."

I paused for a moment, thinking, _"Burn it, maybe?"_ I answered, letting my hair go and signing with one hand.

"Yeeessss," Kakashi drawled, "because leaving the reeking stench of burnt hair behind is such a better idea."

I frowned, no more than a slight downturn of the corners of my mouth, _"Do you have any suggestions?"_ I asked, already knowing the answer.

Kakashi's mask shifted to respond, but paused at a noise I couldn't hear. He looked around, probably spreading his senses.

He closed his eye, "Oh joy, get ready to move Naruto."

Just as he said that, Sasuke ran out of the bushes with a horrified look plastered on his face, shouting "Run now!"

This, of course, woke up the bear, which quickly noticed Sasuke and roared as he ran up. It slashed at him with long powerful claws. Sasuke didn't change course, simply jumping over the paw, inches from the sword-like talons, over the bear's head and landing on the other side in a roll.

Meanwhile the bear's paw connected with a trunk of one of the giant, evil looking trees of the Forest and it went down like a domino.

Sasuke didn't care to as the ground shook, he simply ran as fast as he could. He continued, rolling to the side to dodge a falling branch that would have speared him to the ground. He ran past Kakashi and myself, streaking left and right in an evasion pattern.

We managed to catch up to him in less than a minute.

"You should probably run a bit faster." Kakashi drawled, nose stuck in his book, "The Giant Killer Hornets you pissed off are catching up pretty easily."

"I would be able to run faster if I had less weight on!" Sasuke spat back, red faced.

"What's that?" Kakashi asked idly, "You want your weights tripled?"

Giant Killer Hornets didn't sound healthy. Those new creatures piqued my curiosity enough that I snapped a look over my shoulder.

Only about the size of my dining table back home, translucent wings and all, with a giant, serrated stinger just as long as my swords. Malicious looking pincers snapped together as a pair of huge, beady black eyes made up of hundreds of other eyes blinked at me. Basically the Forest of Death's resident bunny species.

I quickly counted the swarm following us, ducking under a branch, but stopped counting after I reached one-hundred.

"Like I told you before I ordered you to steal some of their honey, these things have a very focused mindset." Kakashi lectured nonchalantly, completely unruffled about the giant flying harbingers of doom chasing us, "Angering one will anger the entire hive. They then chase the offender for hundreds and hundreds of miles, up until they leave familiar territory or their target is dead. They come with two types of venom, one for a rather swift, painless death, and another that can keep their prey alive for months by sending them in a catatonic state- broken only by the occasional but excruciating seizure or convulsion. It only takes a drop of either venom to put down a full grown man for good." he added, causing Sasuke's face to pale, "And until they stop, they focus only on the chase and their target, ignoring everything else unless they pose a threat against them or their hive."

_'Wait,' _ I thought suddenly,_ 'then why am I running with Sasuke if the Giant Hornets want to kill him?'_

"Why don't we just kill them?" Sasuke shouted over the buzzing, pumping his legs harder.

"Kill one and we'll have the entire forest of Giant Hornets after us instead of just one hive." Kakashi shouted back, keeping pace with that same cheerful gleam in his eye, "That's why not many animals in this forest mess with them, only one needs to see and smell a face for the rest to remember for their entire lives. The only way to escape is to make it to water, stay under until they get bored and leave, then find some way to make it up to them later."

"What do you mean, 'make it up to them'?" Sasuke shouted back, jumping over a root protruding from the ground.

"I'll tell you later." Kakashi retorted loudly, "Now, you have the water breathing jutsu pretty much mastered right now, correct?"

Sasuke nodded, almost stumbling over a root.

"Good! A few miles away there should be a deep lake you can wait in, good luck!" with that and a gesture to me, Kakashi and I slowed to a gentle walk, leaving Sasuke to his own devices- as in, running for his life.

The Giant Killer Hornets flew past a few moments later, completely ignoring us.

I winced as their thundering wing beats quickly faded away, raising a hand to my ear. With all the time we spent away from the city I grew accustomed to straining my ears to catch quiet sounds. Considering how naturally acute my hearing was in the first place, it only amplified my pain.

Turning towards my master with one final wince, I asked, _"Is he going to be okay?"_

Kakashi nodded once abruptly before turning on his heel and striding away, "If I didn't think Sasuke would be okay would I leave him alone? Remember," he added, turning around and walking backwards, "we didn't come here because I thought either of you would end up dying in excruciating ways."

"_That doesn't seem like the case most days."_ I responded, face devoid of emotion.

"It doesn't matter what you two think." Kakashi retorted quietly, closing his eye and humming for a moment, "Now, what have you learned today?"

"_Don't get caught stealing honey?"_

He sighed a little, "It'll do."

**Thanks for all the feedback everyone. In the latest change the end of Chapter one has been altered so that Shingi comes off as less rapey. (It was never my intent to imply that Naruto was raped, that plot device is so overused as it is.)**

**Please review.**


	7. The Greatest of Tests

**Chapter Seven, The Greatest of Tests**

"If I may make an observation; it seems as if you skip around much and gloss over a bunch of details."

I nod, _"That I do."_

"May I ask why?"

"_I'm trying to give as good of a picture I can about my training without boring you. As epic as it would be to describe in excruciating detail how I tossed kunai at trees every night it would grow old really quick."_

"Surely it couldn't have been that boring."

"_You say that because you haven't stared death in the face so many times that you know it better than a lover. Thanks to that time in the forest I would never blink except when fighting those that dwarfed me in skill or power. Anyone unfortunate to be around my level or even weaker fought someone that wouldn't bat an eye at ending them."_

0o0o0o0o0o

I whetted my lips, stretching my fingers, and brought the cool silver to my mouth. Moving my fingers over the keys I marched around with closed eyes, belled shoes tinkling far quieter than when I first started months ago. Taking great care to keep the water level no higher than my ankles, I breathed life into the instrument and played a haunting melody.

Kakashi frequently claimed I needed to work on my chakra control, usually shortly before teaching me yet another exercise for just that reason. He also frequently said that dividing my attention between multiple tasks while doing those exercises would help me learn quicker. He also said that my flute playing didn't quite sound like a dying cat anymore.

So, it was the sight of me walking around on the surface of the lake, playing my silver flute with my eyes closed. Wearing bells on my shoes, with various different sized leaves stuck all over my body, hovering two kunai over each shoulder and hand while my fingers fiddled with my flute – that Sasuke and Kakashi stumbled upon an hour later.

"You look like and idiot, Naruto." Sasuke declared.

I snidely retorted by flicking a wrist, catching one of the kunai as it fell, twirling around, and throwing it at Sasuke's face.

Sasuke casually responded by tilting his head just enough to dodge the weapon, catching the other kunai I threw, and tossing it back with deadly aim.

I rapidly countered by flicking it away with my tanto, catching it in the air, and throwing it back.

Sasuke didn't retaliate, letting it sink into his chest just as the attached explosive tag detonated. I didn't waste time acting shocked, twisting out of the way of yet another kunai and jumping away to put some distance between myself and the figure now on the lake.

Smirking back and awaiting my move, Sasuke settled himself in a loose, versatile stance, causing me swiftly put everything away and pull out my sword.

"If I may get us onto something constructive?" Kakashi interrupted blearily, blinking into existence between us without so much as a tickle of displaced air, "I thought I told you two we weren't doing anything strenuous for a few days because we're going to have one final test? But here you two are, going at it like a couple of meat-headed dumb-asses."

He waved vaguely at us as we dropped out of our stances, "No sense of strategy whatsoever, just action and reaction, throw weapon and dodge." sighing, he flipped his book out.

"What ever happened to the classic 'clamor in the front and assault from the rear'? Distracting the enemy and attacking while their attention is diverted? Either of you could have ended the fight before it started!" lectured Kakashi, turning a page.

"Like so!" he grunted, prompting two pairs of gloved hands to spring out of the lake and drag us under.

I imagine he raised his eyes to the sky as I frantically fought off another of his clones, "This is exactly like my many memories of fighting Mist Ninja in the middle of the ocean," he would have muttered, fingering his mask, "except the water probably doesn't taste as bad, and there's no man-eating summoned sharks swimming around... Come to think of it, this is nothing like fighting Mist Ninja in the middle of the ocean."

Kakashi paused for a moment, then turned another page as we splashed and jingled ourselves out of the water.

"You two aren't improving as much as you did previously when it comes to escaping someone underwater." he noted, eye shifting between us, "You only shaved off point-five seconds this time rather than your usual point-five three, have you two been slacking off during training?"

Sasuke glared at him like a half-drowned cat, but said nothing.

"_Can we just get on with this test?"_ I interrupted, left-handedly squeezing water from my hair, _"While it was fun living here for a year, its starting to grow dull. There's only so many times you can come within an inch of death before you get used to it, especially if it happens every single day."_

"Like I said before it's just one of the reasons why we came here," Kakashi explained, "it'll go a long way to helping you after you become real ninja for obvious reasons. Now," he added, eying them both, "if you two are done taking your bath, let's get this briefing over with."

He cleared his throat, turning a page with a giggle, "Alright, this mission is a simple one. You are to escort me to a tower in the middle of this forest."

Sasuke shared an annoyed glance with me. I looked back blankly as I continued to wring out my hair.

"We must get there within five hours," Kakashi continued, ignoring us, "taking a path I have already determined- which we can't deviate from, without major injury to any of us and without damaging the package I'm carrying." he added, taking out a small bag from his weapons pouch and showing us charges, "Until the completion of this mission I will act like a civilian and you are to treat me as one. As such, I will pretend to have no experience in combat and be really stupid. Don't expect me to step in at any time and offer advice. Now, any questions?"

"Can we remove our training equipment?" immediately asked Sasuke.

"I'll leave that up to you." our master answered, gesturing towards me.

"_How long is the path, where does it go through, and what will we face?"_

"Undetermined length, a cave, and nothing of great danger."

This time we didn't look at each other, us both knowing it soundedway too easy to be a decent test.

"_What is the package?"_ I queried.

"Sorry, can't tell you," Kakashi responded, unapologetic, "the contents of the package is classified. Now, any other questions?"

"Why does the civilian get to carry the classified packaged?" Sasuke pointed out.

"Because reasons." our master cheerfully responded, "Any other questions?" he let the silence stretched on for a few moments, "...We move in ten minutes, kiddies. By now you should know how to get ready."

0o0o0o0o0o

"So," asked Sasuke, eyes scanning the area, "this is where our path goes through?"

"Indeed it is, Little Sasu'." our master drawled, walking over to the cave entrance, "Just be careful you don't bump your head or trip or anything, you're supposed to be super skilled ninja after all."

A few minutes travel after we removed our training equipment and prepared ourselves found us in a desolate area of the forest. Sasuke and I hadn't heard or seen any signs of life when the forest abruptly ended, giving way to a thick maze of silk webbing. Kakashi had stepped in front at that point, leading us through. He never hesitated when it split off into multiple cramped, twisting paths, always walking forward with confidence. Within a few minutes, we entered where we currently found ourselves, in some sort of secluded courtyard in the middle of the maze. Staring down a dark hole burrowing into the depths of the earth, I very much doubted we weren't going to run into something hungry.

"I told you not to call me that, Wrinkles." Sasuke called back as we followed, a little annoyed but otherwise at ease.

I didn't bother saying anything, having tuned them out already to watch our surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. The animal corpses sticking out of the maze-web wall had held my attention for a moment, before I turned it elsewhere.

Kakashi sighed, peering into the cave to see nothing threatening, "What's the point of being a Master if you can't give your apprentices embarrassing pet names?" he retorted happily, stepping in, "Besides, you just called me 'Wrinkles', Little Sasu', and I'm not even that old."

"Because you called me 'Little Sasu', Wrinkles." Sasuke grunted back, following Kakashi.

I snorted mentally as I brought up the rear, before brushing past the two to take the lead; after all, Kakashi called it an escort mission. We continued, completely silent and conversing only through hand-signs per rule number one: don't speak aloud in hostile or potentially hostile territory.

The further down we went the less light we saw until it grew so dark we each had to cast a special night vision jutsu made specifically for navigating caves. The walls slowly turned from dirt with roots, to smooth, dense rock marred by the occasional dent or scratch. It went on as such, until the tunnel abruptly leveled out and opened into a large chamber. I held a hand out, calling for a halt as I examined their new surroundings.

The cavern stretched so high my enhanced vision couldn't penetrate the inky blackness. Spikes of rock jutted out of the ground, standing like spears ready to impale. A few dozen webs dotted the walls and ground, ready to ensnare unwary prey. Hundreds of indents lined the walls, fading away with the darkness above. My eyes took all this in before coming to rest on a circular hole at the far end of the chamber, at least two miles away.

"_Is that our exit?"_ I asked, turning to look at my master and fingering the handle of my blade.

He just blinked- or winked- back at me, hard to tell when you could only see one eye.

I wordlessly turned back, smoothly stepped over a pile of yellowed bones, and made my way across the chamber. Reflexively using the cliffs and spikes of stone to help hide myself, I cast out my senses. Kakashi followed immediately, not doing anything to hide himself because of his role as an untrained civilian.

A sudden noise shattered the silence.

"This is a pretty big cave." Kakashi grumbled, sounding like thunder as he stopped to retie his shoe, "This civilian is wondering if he might get winded before we leave." he tugged one final time, looked up and earned a glare from Sasuke.

"What?" he asked, blinking innocently. I forcefully brought a finger to my lips, about to turn away when Sasuke grabbed our shoulders and forced us both down.

"_There's a giant spider just over there."_ Sasuke signed, responding to my unasked question.

"_Why do you always have to make our escort missions so irritating?" _I demanded, turning to Kakashi and feeling for any more spiders.

"Sorry," he loudly answered, "this civ-" Sasuke clamped his mouth shut.

"_It's heading this way."_ he signed, one handed.

"_Follow me,"_ I replied, turning away,_ "and watch out for others."_ Hunching down and again using the rocks as cover, I slowly progressed in the exit's direction, varying our path to stay as covered as possible.

A few minutes later, we suddenly stopped.

"_Sasuke,"_ I signed,_"check for the spider again."_ he nodded, leaning over and peaking through a fence of rock spikes.

"_...It's about three hundred yards away, it must not have heard us."_

An earsplitting screech came behind me, making me whirl around, draw my blade and slash a dark shape lunging for my head. The noise suddenly cut off, the shape splitting in halves and flying past to skid across the ground, coming to a stop feet away. I looked down and found a dinner plate sized spider bisected in two, legs already curling in death.

I looked back to Sasuke, _"We move, now."_

Sasuke didn't answer, grabbing Kakashi and hoisting him over his back as a chorus of shrieks, hisses, and pitter-patter of clawed feet echoed through the cavern.

The shadowed walls shimmered and undulated as waves of spiders all poured out from the indents. They hissed and spat as they scuttled down the walls, each and every one fixing all their beady eyes on us as we sprinted for the exit. They didn't have an organized attack like so many other beasts of the forest, but they descended on us all the same.

I chanced a glance over my back, seeing the army coming between us and the way we came in. I made eye contact with Sasuke, wordlessly making a plan.

I turned back, making a single hand-sign and forming a dozen puffs of smoke- heralding the arrival of as many shadow clones. Half wordlessly fell back, surrounding Sasuke and Kakashi in a protective shield, the rest drawing blades and reading hand-signs. They shot ahead, ready to carve a path through the crush of spiders. I flexed my wrist as I ran, readying myself and looking around to see the swarm closing in on all sides.

_'This will be fun.'_ I thought to myself.

Then the advancing clones and the sea of spiders collided.

Immediately screeches of agony assaulted my ears, most cutting off soon or turning to animalistic rage. Bodies flew through the air, both spinning limp ones, and flailing shrieking ones. Jets and huge orbs of flames bit deep into their lines while cold steel cut away anything that came too close. I hated resorting to such flashy and inefficient jutsu- even though I had a monstrous chakra capacity and decent control. However, I needed to if I didn't want to get overwhelmed by sheer numbers, as I had run out of explosive tags long ago.

My brow twitched once when a clone dispelled but I forced the memories away as I ducked under a smoking corpse and kept running. I made it to the clones, which advanced deep into the spider horde, slashing left and right and shooting jets of flames from their mouths. I widened the gap, cutting down or burning away spider after spider, leaving mutilated corpses or flinging them into the sea to make more room.

We swiftly cut through to the exit, only myself and two of the clones remaining. With another hand-sign I made another dozen clones and stationed eight all along the path, the rest going back to Sasuke, Kakashi and the other clones. One of the first clones wordlessly sheathed his blade, pulling out a brace of kunai, just in case, and watching the group make a beeline for the exit.

The black sea hissed and screeched, hesitant after watching me kill so many of their kin. A few shrilled and spat, dancing closer on their nimble legs only to jump away when any of my clones moved. Sasuke and Kakashi, still slung over his apprentice's back, had no trouble getting through. I watched them as they passed and go through the exit. I gestured and the clones clones made a protective barrier around it. Though the Shotaran stopped attacking us, I had no idea how long that would last.

Leaving the clones to their jobs, I caught up to Sasuke and Kakashi just in time to the former toss the later on the rocky floor without ceremony. Sasuke glared at the older man, mildly upset about being swarmed by hundreds of thousands of spiders. Kakashi grunted at the impact, rubbing his back as he sat back up.

"_Do you still have any explosive tags?"_ I asked, _"I'm all out, and I'd rather not have a few spiders chasing after us."_

"_What if we seal off the tunnel, go deeper, and find out this way leads to a dead end?"_ Sasuke countered, handing me a few tags.

I nodded in Kakashi's direction, _"Then the first one we're killing and eating will be the old one over there."_ I 'said' seriously.

"What are you ninjas saying?" said old one cheerfully demanded, "This civilian can't understand your fancy language! And I'm completely blind because I can't see anything in this unending darkness!"

"Oh, shut it!" Sasuke bit back irritably, "It's your fault we're in this mess in the first place! What kind of ninja talks out loud when they'll get spotted?"

"I'm not a ninja!" Kakashi insisted, rolling his eye, "I'm a stupid, untrained civilian."

I silently slunk back to the tunnel entrance, preparing the explosive tags Sasuke handed me. Looking from the still line of clones to the milling and shrieking horde spiders I quickly went to work. One tag on the ceiling and two tags on both sides of the tunnel. Done, I stalked deeper into the tunnel, getting out of blast range, when a sudden change came over the swarm of spiders.

They shrieked and spilled forward, viciously cutting down the line of clones with their superior numbers and showing a tactical mindset completely unseen before. While dozens of spiders swarmed a single clone, dozens more would hang back and work to ensnare him in webbing to constrict his movement. I sifted through the score of memories as I worked my hand into a detonation seal, just as the last clone puffed away and the sea came rushing towards me.

Had I not channeled chakra to my ears they would have blown out by the sudden explosion rocking the earth. Sealing off the entrance and blowing a wave of dust into the air, I waited to see my handiwork. As it cleared, I ducked as a glob of something whizzed by my face before I dived behind a nearby rock outcropping for cover. The dust settled, and I waited until hearing a faint clicking to peek around the boulder.

I saw a large spider, not that different looking from any other of the swarm they had disturbed, but it felt different. I didn't know why until I looked into its beady-black eyes, finding a glint of intelligence not out of place on my master's face. It turned its head in my direction as I prowled out from behind the boulder and approached it, wary but not too worried. All but a portion of its middle and its head had been crushed under the boulders now blocking off the tunnel. Today when I look back on this moment, I still berate myself for my stupidity.

It clicked its mandibles together, watching me approach. I halted a few feet away, examining it as the spider worked its mandibles together at a faster and faster pace. I idly wondered what it was doing for a moment, before remembering the glob shooting by my head, inches from my face. I jumped to the side just as a green stream shot out of the spider's mandibles.

As quickly as I moved it still grazed me, splattering all over the thin cloak covering my body. I flicked a kunai into my hand and tossed it all in one fluid motion, catching the spider in the eye and sending it limp. More of the green liquid dripped from its mandibles, the stone underneath hissing and sizzling.

I tore my smoking cloak off and tossed it to the ground. Twisting around and quickly checking myself all over, I didn't find any injuries or tendrils of smoke. I turned back to the cloak, gingerly lifting it to see the fabric swiftly wilting away as an acrid stench wafted my way. Dropping it again, I turned smartly and hiked down the tunnel one last time.

"What took you so long?" Sasuke greeted curiously, "And where did your cloak go?"

"_I recommend we be a little more cautious when dealing with any other spiders we run into."_ I replied swiftly, brushing past him, _"It seems some can spit acid."_

I paused, _"Why is master Kakashi's mask covered in duct tape?"_

"_To keep him quiet."_

"_But its on his mask, not his face. It doesn't work like that."_

Kakashi eye-smiled, "Murhplymcakdwankaphnick."

"_But if he's a stupid civilian he wouldn't be wearing the mask."_ Sasuke smartly pointed out, smirking.

Ninja Duct Tape, the world's most versatile tool for over one-hundred years.

I rolled with it.

With me in the lead and Sasuke again covering the rear we hiked down the sloping tunnel for what felt like hours. We ducked under roots, stepped over fissures, and avoided whatever other obstacles came our way. Eventually we entered a large cavern very similar to the last one, walls and columns of gray rock reaching up into the darkness. Hundreds of shadowed holes dotted the walls, small caves within the cave doubtlessly holding thousands -maybe millions- of other spiders hungering for fresh meat.

We ghosted our way along, nearly silent thanks to our training. Occasionally, through no fault of ours, something stirred within the caves- causing us to freeze completely- before stilling and going silent once more. We continued as such until we reached something that gave us all some pause.

Though resting on the cavern floor it stood more than five stories tall. It's fangs, each the size of a door and glistening with unknown poisons, slowly clicked together. Great hairs, as thick around as my fist, dotted the creature's body and black exoskeleton.

We both glared at our master, _"What is that?"_ I demanded, looking back at the creature_._

The creature stirred slightly before going still, prompting Sasuke to add, _"You knew it would be here, didn't you?" _he demanded, making Kakashi eye-smile. He gestured to the monster, then pointed to a small grove sloping up behind it.

The way out.

"_Should you, or should I?"_ I asked Sasuke.

"_I don't care either way,"_ the boy responded, _" though you'd probably drop him or-."_

The giant Shotaran opened it eyes, fixing us with it's eyes and shrieking so loudly as it stood up we cringed and covered their ears. The walls, answering with a chorus of cries, disgorged a flood of spiders that scuttled to the ground and ran for us three. Strands of webbing flew wildly at them, most streamed far off target though others came uncomfortably close.

I snatched up my sensei and threw him over my back, making a hand-sign to summon shadow clones and sending them to slow the advancing horde. The Shotaran behemoth clicked its mandibles together, vomiting out a wave of acid that sent us scuttling out of the way. Acrid smoke assaulted our noses as the stone hissed and frothed, the river of acid streaming down after us as we charged for the tunnel leading out.

We had no idea how to tackle something of that size. We had hundreds or thousands of man eating spiders closing in on us, a spider the size of a building blocking our way, and little time to think. An almost hopeless situation, if one forgot about the tunnel or about the jonin slung over my back.

The behemoth shrieked again while we closed in, the floor to coming alive dozens of larger spiders burst from the ground in a shower of pebbles, surrounding us. We both came to a sudden stop, chakra in our feet keeping us from sliding, and searched the circle for a weakness. We locked eyes as the spiders closed in, Sasuke nodded his head to the behemoth and I nodded.

The spiders shrilled as the last of the clone's memories hit me, eliciting a twitch. Sasuke whipped out kunai and tossed them at a few spiders blocking our way, the rest rushed at us. Some spiders dodged away from the flying steel, while a few got hit, speared through the head or abdomen. Not many, but just enough to make an opening, Sasuke covered me while I ran for the tunnel.

With only the behemoth left in my way, it clicking its mandibles together in a familiar way, I jumped over its head and landed on its back. It shrieked again, much louder than before, nearly sending me to my knees as my ears pounded in agony. I stumbled as something cut into my ankle, catching myself and fighting through the pain to make the last few feet, then fell off its back.

My ankle burned and my world spun as I fell. I heard someone saying my name over the constant screaming of the spiders, just loud enough for me to hear. My head dashed against something hard, probably a boulder, that sent my vision swimming in and out of focus as I lost my night vision. Something brushed against my leg, making me fumble for my tanto.

"Naruto, its okay, we're going to get you out of here."

I felt myself get hoisted up, gritting my teeth when they made my ankle flare in pain. My body rocked back and forth as if I was on a boat. Shortly after I heard an explosion, some faint shrieking, rock hitting rock, then silence.

"Come on, we need to get him to the tower infirmary." I heard someone said.

Something brushed against my forehead, then darkness.

0o0o0o0o0o

The first thing I did when I opened my eyes was close them against the glare of florescent light. I turned on my side in the bed, hearing someone clearing their throat and cheerfully declare, "Looks like you're finally up!"

My opened my eyes to see my master leaning back in a chair, reading his book.

"No doubt you're wondering what happened." Kakashi commented, lazily turning a page, "The thing is though, I didn't see how you got injured, and when we got here the doctors found some sort of substance in your blood that stopped it from clotting up. From what I've been told it was touch and go for the first few hours while they worked out a way to bandage up your ankle, stop the bleeding, and get the poison out of you." he paused for a moment, flipping another page, "So, how was your nap?"

I shook my head for a moment, then signed, _"The same as any other time I almost die and sleep it off. What else happened while I was out?"_ I asked, looking around the infirmary, _"Did I pass the test? And where's Sasuke?"_

Kakashi snapped his book shut, sliding it into his weapons pouch and joyfully informing me, "Not much happened, I went back to Konoha for a bit, picked some stuff up from my house and bought a few new books. I came back, wrote a report on the test, then waited for the doctors to decide you were capable of receiving visitors. You did pass the test, though that little injury deducted some points from your score. As for Sasuke he's off exploring this place. Probably haunting one of the training rooms and asking any ANBU there if they'd like to spar." his eye smiled at this, "I imagine it'd be fun to watch, but we have a little something to go over first."

"_I thought you said we couldn't get seriously injured?"_ I asked.

Kakashishrugged, "You're still alive aren't you? Regardless, I'm going to ask you a simple question, why do you want to become a ninja?" he continued happily, eliciting what passed for a quizzical expression from me.

"_Like I said every other time we talked about this, because I want to become strong."_ I quickly answered.

Kakashi nodded cheerfully, "But what would you do with that strength? Strength doesn't exist for strength's sake, it exists to be used. Besides, without constant testing strength stagnates and decays."

"_I'd use it to make sure that I'd never be a victim again."_

"But what if those that would take advantage of you were more powerful, more numerous, more intelligent, or any combination of the three?" he queried, loosing his happy expression and turning serious, "Your skilled for your age, but you could not hope to stand against any enemy you make alone."

"_I imagine that anyone who'd make themselves my enemy would also become the enemy of Konoha." _I retorted neutrally, suspicion edging into my mind, _"Or are you saying that there are those that Konoha wouldn't dare anger?"_

Kakashi smiled at me and laughed lightly, "No, what I'm saying is that there entities too powerful for Konoha's regular ninja forces to combat. If you were to become a regular ninja, they would be able to end you at a whim."

I lightly clasped my hands in front of me and sat silently for a moment, _"It sounds like you want me to join the ANBU." _

Kakashi shook his head, "No, not the ANBU, something else."

"_Something else?"_

"Yes."

"_Does it have a name?"_

Kakashi smiled even wider, "Maybe it does, but first I want you to know that everything you're about to here is so classified, that if you go around telling people about it, you'll disappear and no-one will ever find your body. Understand?"

"_What if I don't like what I hear? What then?"_ I demanded.

"I've already had this discussion with Sasuke," joyfully declared Kakashi, skirting the question, "and he liked what he heard."

"_How do I know you're not playing some sort of joke on me?" _I signed, suspicious.

"Why do you think the Hokage ordered a jounin to start tutoring you when you were seven, when children from clans don't get such a privilege?" Kakashi asked, suddenly serious again, "Why do you think you two got to use the Forest of Death, a place commonly used by chunin ninja and above, to train when you're not even in the academy? It's because you've been going through a training regime designed to find your faults, strengths, and qualities potential early on, so that when you passed the little test we recently had, you would be able to quickly join the ranks of our order."

"_Test? You mean everything we've been doing these past few years was all a test?"_

Kakashi shrugged, "More or less, we had to make sure you and Sasuke had the right qualities before we extended an invitation. If at one time we found you lacking somewhere, I would have been required to find an excuse to stop training you, and you would have been pressed into active service among the regular ninja force. Since you and Sasuke passed all tests we sent you're way, some better than others, it was decided to try bringing you both into the fold. We only want willing participants."

"_And if I say no I'll lose my special privileges, won't I?"_

"Yep!" his master cheerfully declared, "No more advanced training, no more apprenticeship discounts, no access to the best goodies... but if you do join us, you get to keep your privileges _and_ get a lot more benefits down the road." then Kakashi smiled, "Not only that, but you'll get to fight forces that will truly test your skills."

I didn't take a moment to answer, _"I accept, tell me more."_

My master smiled, sighing airily, "Ahh, so eager to begin! Good." he leaned forward, dropping the smile, "What you have just become a member of is an organization dedicated to the safeguarding of Konoha, her citizens, and any and all of her interests within Fire Country and abroad. Whatever and whoever so much as whispers a threat, we remove, misdirect, sabotage, or convince them that whatever they're doing isn't worth the trouble."

"_So,"_ I started, _"when I get better, the three of us are going to go around the world, assassinating people?"_

"Not at all," clarified Kakashi, still completely serious, "you're not far enough into your training to take those sorts of missions. I understand that every recruit has a different training schedule, but neither you nor Sasuke are going outside the country until you join the regular ninja forces. Why, you might ask? That's classified beyond your current rank." he smiled at this, "You're now an initiate, by the way."

Having grown used to his master's mood-swings long ago, I didn't raise an eyebrow when he responded, _"So, when will I join the regular ninja forces? And who's the person in charge of this order?"_

Kakashi's eye smiled wider, before he turned in his chair, "It's not important when you'll become a regular ninja yet, and as to who's in charge... let's just say, you won't have any problems with conflicting orders from him and the Hokage."

As he hunched over, my eyes went blank and my body jerked.

0o0o0o0o0o

It looked akin to a sewer; black stagnant water weakly lapping at the pale pitted walls. All illuminated by a bleak red light seeming to come from the air itself, the halls twisted this way and that like a labyrinth. Lined along each wall every few feet or so stood strong steel doors, completely unaffected by the water lapping at their frames.

It went on a long ways, twisting, twisting, twisting and twisting until it opened into a huge cavern. Half of the cavern sat obscured by a wall of metallic bars hiding a space where the red light refused to enter, marking some form of prison. Even further past that and down a new hall, it came to an abrupt and shocking end. Shocking, because a wall of sick purplish material rose from the floor blocking any passage.

That, alone, would have been enough to give one pause.

Not a solid wall, it swirled and eddied in a way reminiscent of a poisonous cloud. However, it never moved past an unseen barrier that seemed to hold it at bay. It shimmered and slowly reached out long dark tendrils, hoping at last to break past whatever held it back, its fingers breaking apart without going more than an arm's length.

If one could have peered through the fog they would have seen a multitude of doors not unlike those found earlier. However, unlike those other doors, all had some sort of strong, thick lock keeping curious fingers from unleashing their contents on this fragile mind.

Unfortunately, nothing stopped a shadowy figure from slowly picking away at the lock holding closed a larger, more formidable door. It stood at the farthest end from the barrier, where the hall came to a sudden end. It reached just as tall as the metal bars in the cavern before, and the lock- as large as all other doors in the hall combined.

Or, as the case may be, it once was. The shadow had worked away at the lock for hours, ever since my master brought me to rest in the tower infirmary. It worked as fast as it could without alerting Inoichi Yamanaka, leaving behind a corroded lump of metal. The shadow reached out a single thick tendril, and tapped the lock one, final time.

It fell to into the stagnant water with a loud, thunderous splash, and a metallic clang.

The door, urged on by the shadow, slowly fell inward. At first it only let a few wisps of dark black substance squeeze past the door- but it would be enough.

Cracks appeared where the purple fog- quickly turning the blackest of black- ended, appearing and hovering in the air itself. The cracks silently webbed out, growing more numerous, deeper, before the barrier shattered like glass.

The fog, now free, slowly drifted away from its cage.

0o0o0o0o0o

Today I remember this part as if in a dream. I felt odd, weak yet full of energy as my body refused to move. Everything swam in vivid detail as those memories crashed to the front of my mind.

"Now, Naruto." Kakashi grunted, hunched over as he rummaged through a bag at his feet, "When prospects pass the initiation, they usually get some tools to help them become better ninja."

He paused, grasping something and pulling his hand out to reveal a small scroll. Raising it to eye level he continued, "This scroll contains a few things our best craftsmen have been working on for the past year, almost since our training vacation started."

I slowly raised my head, "I know you hate getting gifts," he started, the next words slowly dying on his lips, "just think of this as something... Naruto?"

0o0o0o0o0o

Shingi sighed, setting down his cup of water and sharpening his tools for the third time that day, "It's been a while since we've had a worthwhile conversation, Naruto."

Silent motionlessness answered him, not a twitch came from my body.

Shingi sighed again, rubbing off a spot of dried blood and smiling all the while, "Honestly, Naruto, if I knew you were going to be such a bore I never would have kidnapped you; I miss our conversations. What happened to the screams, the begging for mercy, the promise to do anything so long as I stopped?"

The fourth day.

In the screaming silence the man laughed, picking up the cup once more and slurping water down his throat. Smacking his lips he slowly stood up and walked over to my motionless body. Shingi stooped down, eying me almost thoughtfully as he absently swirled the cup around.

"Guess what, my little friend?" he whispered, grinning at the skeleton below him, "It's time for today's sip of water."

He reached out, dangling the cup above my slack-jawed mouth as he slowly tipped the last of its contents out. Shingi slowly tilted the cup up, the water trickling slowly, until it's bottom pointed straight into the air. Using his free hand he clamped my jaws shut, forcing the water down the my throat.

Shingi straightened himself, turning away and reaching for his tools once again.

"Why?"

Shingi paused.

"Why?"

I moved my mouth again and again, voice so weak I could only whisper, "Why... hurt... me..."

Shingi smiled, a real gleam in his eye.

He stooped back down, whispering close to my ear.

It took a moment to sink in. Then amazingly, I smiled, laughing and laughing and laughing and _laughing_ even as my new friend walked slowly back to the table, and slowly walked back.

But I was too delirious to know that I wasn't laughing, that all that came out of my mouth was a weak croak. Such a noise shouldn't come even from the maw of the dying man, let alone the mouth of a six year old boy. I couldn't notice Shingi had walked away, coming back with a clean syringe clenched in his hand. I could only think of what my new friend had said, and how funny it was.

I still laughed when Shingi put a needle in my arm, injecting yet another black liquid into my body. Still I laughed when my body convulsed, back arching away from the table, as I thrashed and kicked and smiled. Still I laughed even as my little heart finally gave out.


End file.
